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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Assessing Bacterial Invasion of Cardiac Cells in Culture and Heart Colonization in Infected Mice Using Listeria monocytogenes
Published on: May 27, 2015
Listeriosis in pregnancy complicated by postpartum heart block
Asya L Agulnik1, Lauren Maggio, Luchin F Wong
1From the Stanford University Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford; Lane Medical Library, Stanford University, Stanford; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California.
Background:
Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that primarily affects pregnant women. Cardiac involvement is an uncommon complication of infection. We present a case of a gravida with Listeria bacteremia at 36 weeks of gestation.
Case:
Two of a patient's blood cultures grew L monocytogenes after she experienced chills, headache, myalgia, and diarrhea. The patient was treated with antibiotics for 48 hours, and then labor was induced, resulting in a normal delivery with a healthy neonate. On day 5 postpartum, the patient developed progressive heart block, resulting in a third-degree block, which required a pacemaker. An electrocardiogram done 30 days after hospital discharge demonstrated an atrial-sensed, ventricularly paced rhythm, which indicated that the heart block had not resolved.
Conclusion:
Heart block is a rarely reported and possibly overlooked complication of listeriosis. Mothers with listerial infection should be screened for cardiac complications to avoid unexpected decompensation.
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