1Research Scholar, Bharath University, BIHER, Chennai, India
2Professsor, Bharath University, BIHER, Chennai, India
3Lecturer, Department of Microbiology, DMWIMS, Wayanad, Kerala
4Assistant Professor, Government Tiruvanamalai Medical College and Hospital
5Professsor DM, Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, Wayanad
*Corresponding author: S. Kamala Kannan, Assistant Professor, Department of E N T, Government Tiruvannamalai medical college and Hospital, Tiruvannamalai Email: skamalk23@gmail.com, Ph. 9443270219
Online published on 8 March, 2019.
Listeriosis ranks the most frequent source of death among the bacterial food-borne illnesses with high Case fatality rate of 20% to 30% and neonatal death rate 50%. Listeriosis incidence in pregnancy has been reported 18 to 20 times higher than in general population. Hence the present study was planned to evaluate the prevalence of pregnancy associated Listeriosis in and around Puducherry India.
A total of 335 pregnancy associated cases which includes 129 pregnant women, 34 women with miscarriage/spontaneous fetal loss and 172 neonates from whom 147 blood samples, 138 amniotic fluid or HVS, 2 diarrheal stool samples, 19 CSF, 14 placental bits or umbilical cord and 15 abortus material were aseptically collected and processed for isolation of Listeria spp.
The overall prevalence of pregnancy associated Listeriosis was 6.3%. Pregnant women accounted for 11.62% positive cases, 8.82% of women with spontaneous abortion/miscarriage and 1.74% of neonates were found positive for Listerioisis in the present study.
Considering the increased incidence of pregnancy associated Listeriosis in our setting, this disease should be considered as an important differential diagnosis in clinical practice especially among pregnant women and women undergoing miscarriage or fetal loss.
Pregnant women, neonates, Listeriosis, miscarriage
