Abstract
This study describes trends in the incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis in France between 1984 and 2011, and presents the major characteristics of 606 cases reported between 1999 and 2011 to the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance through the mandatory notification system. The incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis decreased by a factor of 12 from 1984 to 2011. This reduction was a result of progressive implementation of specific Listeria monocytogenes control measures in food production. A lower incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis was observed in regions with a lower prevalence of toxoplasmosis. Given that dietary recommendations in pregnancy target both toxoplasmosis and listeriosis prevention, we suppose that recommendations may have been delivered and followed more frequently in these regions. Cases reported between 1999 and 2011 (n=606) were classified as maternal infections with ongoing pregnancy (n=89, 15%), fetal loss (n=166, 27%), or live-born neonatal listeriosis (n=351, 58%). The majority of live-born neonatal listeriosis cases (n=216, 64%) were preterm births (22–36 weeks of gestation), of whom 14% (n=30) were extremely preterm births (22–27 weeks of gestation). Eighty per cent of mothers reported having eaten high risk food during pregnancy. A better awareness of dietary recommendations in pregnant women is therefore necessary.
Highlights
Invasive listeriosis is a rare but severe infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium capable of growing at low temperatures but destroyed by heat
Seasonal incidence of pregnancyrelated listeriosis was not parallel to the incidence observed for non-pregnancy-related listeriosis which was higher from May to July than during the rest of the year (Figure 3)
Previous analyses have suggested that a substantial part of the decrease in illness due to L. monocytogenes from 1986 to 1996 in France was related to control measures implemented at the food production level [9]
Summary
Invasive listeriosis is a rare but severe infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium capable of growing at low temperatures but destroyed by heat. Human listeriosis is mainly transmitted by food [1,2] and generally affects immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women and newborns [3]. The symptoms of listeriosis in pregnant women are non-specific and often include an influenza-like syndrome. The main risk associated with listeriosis during pregnancy is haematogenous transmission to the fetus through the placenta. Listeriosis can develop at any time during pregnancy [4] and can result in fetal loss, preterm birth and/or neonatal infection [5]. The objectives of this study were to describe trends in the incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis in France between 1984 and 2011, and the major characteristics of the 606 cases recorded between 1999 and 2011
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