A woman in Greater Tainan gave birth to a stillborn baby after attending an outdoor wedding reception and became infected with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can be life-threatening and is primarily transmitted by eating contaminated food.
National Cheng Kung University Hospital’s delivery room head doctor Hsu Pei-yang (許沛揚) said the woman went to the hospital after having a persistent high fever.
“We performed an ultrasound on the woman to check the health of her fetus, but found no heartbeat. As she also had abdominal and pelvic pain when pressed, we concluded that she had chorioamnionitis — a bacterial infection of the amniotic membranes and fluid that surround the fetus that could lead to stillbirth or premature birth — and immediately put her on antibiotics,” Hsu said.
Hsu said while the woman did not experience complications of sepsis due to the timely treatment she received, Listeria monocytogenes was detected in her blood and tissue cultures.
“Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment and is mostly contracted by eating foods containing the bacteria. It is commonly found in lettuce, ready-to-eat processed meat products, frozen instant foods, and raw milk and soft cheese,” Hsu said.
Most adults are at low risk of being infected with the bacteria because healthy immune systems are able to eliminate the organism from the body before it spreads, Hsu said, but as a woman’s immune system is weakened during pregnancy, she is about 17 times more vulnerable to the food-borne bacteria.
Hsu advised expectant women to avoid undercooked meat and raw milk to reduce their risk of contracting the bacteria, which could infect their uterus and fetus via blood circulation and cause stillbirth.
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