In the Spotlight - Maternal-Fetal Listeriosis in France: A Review from 1984 to 2011

Listeriosis is a rare but potentially serious infection transmitted primarily through the ingestion of food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It primarily affects people with compromised immune systems, the elderly, pregnant women, and newborns. Maternal-fetal infection during pregnancy can lead to spontaneous abortions in the first trimester, premature delivery between the 6th and 9th months, or sometimes fetal death in utero, and finally to neonatal infection following delivery. This disease has been a notifiable disease (ND) since 1998. Each year in France, 250 to 370 cases of listeriosis are diagnosed, representing an annual incidence of 4 to 6 cases per million inhabitants1. An article published in Eurosurveillance on September 25, 20142, describes cases of maternal-fetal listeriosis reported in France between 1984 and 2011. A sharp decline in incidence (by a factor of 12) is noted between these two years, from 60 cases per 100,000 live births in 1984 to 5 cases per 100,000 in 2011. This decline is attributed both to the gradual implementation of specific control measures in food production chains and to dietary recommendations given to pregnant women to prevent toxoplasmosis and listeriosis (a correlation was found between regional incidence rates of maternal-fetal listeriosis and toxoplasmosis in pregnant women). A focus on the 606 cases reported between 1999 and 2011 revealed 89 cases of maternal infection with no impact on the continuation of the pregnancy (15%), 166 cases of miscarriage or fetal death in utero (27%), 351 cases of neonatal infection in live newborns (58%), of which 216 were preterm births (including 30 cases between 22 and 27 weeks of gestation).The regional incidence of maternal-fetal listeriosis per 100,000 live births ranged from 2.1 (Poitou-Charentes) to 13.4 (Corsica). Burgundy and Franche-Comté reported incidences of 3.5 and 3.7, respectively. Of the 603 mothers who completed a dietary questionnaire, 509 (84%) reported having consumed at least one high-risk food in the 2 months prior to diagnosis. This finding indicates that further efforts are needed regarding nutritional prevention messages for pregnant women.