Challenges in Managing a Case of Neonatal Listeriosis in Portugal

A male neonate was born at 34 weeks due to spontaneous labor with associated fetal distress and meconium-stained amniotic fluid. The neonate presented with septic shock and congenital pneumonia shortly after birth and later neurological symptoms. Listeria monocytogenes was identified in blood samples, but with negative urine and cerebrospinal fluid cultures. The neonate required assisted ventilation for a period of 10 days and received high-dose and long-term antibiotic therapy. Despite the fact that the mother denied an infectious risk for listeriosis infection, she developed mild respiratory symptoms. Her microbiological investigation was negative, although it did not include placental samples. Vertical transmission in this case was presumed but not confirmed. The newborn was discharged asymptomatic at day 26 of life and has presented normal developmental evolution until present, at eight months old. Listeria monocytogenes is a classic but relatively rare cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. This case describes a clinically successfully managed case with no possible epidemiological link and illustrates the challenges in managing cases of a public health disease. In neonatal listeriosis, communication between Neonatology and Obstetrics departments, as well as with public health, is vital, and long-term follow-up is crucial to identify possible neurological sequelae.