[Impact of infection with Listeria monocytogenes on the pregnancy]

During a ten years period (06.1998a.-06.2007) at the delivery ward of Maychin dom university hospital were admitted 31 627 parturients. Among all of them we indentified and evaluated only 6 pregnant patients with Listeria monocytogenes infection. During the first 8 years of the investigated period there was no even single case of the infection, whilst during the last 2 years the frequency of the Listeria infection among all birth deliveries was 0.10%. The first five of our cases were admitted with clinical symptoms of therapeutically uninfluenced preterm birth and had premature labor. One of the five examined births underwent urgent Caesarean Section because of intrapartial fetal distress, which makes 20% of the operative birth deliveries. All five maternity patients are diagnosed during the postpartum period whilst searching for the microbial reason of the severe infection of the newborns. All of the five newborns experience infection complications. Septic condition of two of the neonates was not possible to be overcome and was followed by an exitus. The observed neonatal mortality among the group is 33.3%. The last observed case of infection was diagnosed by detecting the level of antibodies against Listeria monocytogenes in 11th week of gestation. The enhanced antibodies level was accompany by clinical symptoms. Patient was treated with Penicillin 4 x 2.0 g i.v. for fourteen days Repeated serological results was normal. The pregnancy was followed up till the term.