PREGNANCY- RELATED LISTERIOSIS: FREQUENCY AND GENOTYPIC CHARACTERISTICS OF L. MONOCYTOGENES FROM HUMAN SPECIMENS, KERMAN-IRAN

Background and Aim:Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can pose serious complications during pregnancy and neonatal infection. This study aimed to determine the frequency of L.monocytogenes infection, prevalent serotypes and virulence genes among pregnant women and those experiencing miscarriages in Kerman, Iran.Methods:This study was performed on 200 women who were referred to Afzalipour Hospital that ranged from 18 to 42 years old. 124 vaginal swab specimens were for aborted women and 76 cases for pregnant. Vaginal swab specimens were placed in two enrichment transport (TSB and yeast extract with and without antibiotics). Tubes containing antibiotic were placed in the refrigerator, but another tubes used for DNA extraction. inl B, prf A , act A and genotyping were studied by PCR method. The enriched specimens were cultured on Blood agar and Palcam agar. The isolates were confirmed by specific phenotypic tests.Results:Out of 200 vaginal swabs, 4.5% and 29.5% of specimens were positive for L. monocytogenes infection as identified by culture and molecular methods, respectively. The majority of isolates from positive cultures (89%) of pregnant women resulted in stillbirth, death and blindness. The most prevalent virulence determinants were inl B, prf A, act A and hly (table1&2). The majority of isolates were non-typable. A history of miscarriage and gestational age are known to be significantly associated with the presence of infection.Conclusion:This study emphasizes the importance of initial screening for L. monocytogenes in pregnant women in Iran. Increasing the awareness of pregnant women could be effective in reducing pregnancy-related listeriosis.