Neonatal Listeriosis is transmitted to newborns through the placenta or during or after delivery. The signs and symptoms of sepsis are present. Moreover, in order to diagnose this condition, polymerase or culture chain reaction testing is used on the mother and the infant. Furthermore, antibiotics, such as first ampicillin plus an aminoglycoside, are used to treat the infection.
SYMPTOMS
Infections in pregnant women can be asymptomatic or cause primary bacteremia that appears as a nonspecific flu-like sickness at first.
In addition, abortion, early delivery with amnionitis, stillbirth, or newborn sepsis are all complications that can lead to this condition. Moreover, some of the symptoms that arise during the early-onset of the illness include:
Moreover, the delayed-onset variant affects previously healthy infants who develop meningitis or sepsis.
DIAGNOSIS
In order to diagnose this condition, the doctor may conduct a blood test. Also, the doctor may conduct PCR or polymerase chain reaction to test the cervix and amniotic fluid of a feverish, pregnant lady.
Aside from those, the blood, stomach aspirate, cerebrospinal fluid, infected tissues, and meconium of the ill infant are also cultured or tested through PCR.
For pregnant women with unexplainable febrile illnesses will need to culture their cervix and blood specimens through PCR as well. In addition, an ill newborn whose mother has listeriosis should be tested for sepsis using cultures or PCR of either the umbilical cord or the placenta.
Although mononuclear cells may predominate in the CSF, polymorphonuclear cells are more common. Gram-stained smears are typically negative, but they may reveal pleomorphic, gram-variable coccobacillary forms that should not be mistaken for diphtheroid pollutants
TREATMENT
In order to treat this condition, doctors prescribe antibiotics, such as ampicillin in combination with an aminoglycoside. Aside from those, other drugs that may possibly be used include penicillin with rifampin, meropenem, or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. However, these medications need more research with regards to their effect on neonatal listeriosis.
Furthermore, for some cases, the following treatments may also be used:
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