Neonatal Listeriosis with Granulomatosis Infantiseptica: A Case Report

Abstract

Listeriosis is a rare but serious foodborne infection caused by the gram-positive bacillus Listeria monocytogenes. Newborns, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are more susceptible to this bacterium. Maternal listeriosis is associated with preterm birth and fetal death, and neonatal listeriosis can cause meningitis, sepsis, acute respiratory distress, and necrotizing granulomatosis with severe neurologic and developmental sequelae. Maternal listeriosis is difficult to diagnose due to non-specific clinical symptoms, and neonatal listeriosis is associated with relatively high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, clinicians must be suspicious and vigilant for early diagnosis and rapid treatment. Especially, granulomatosis infantiseptica is a characteristic pathological finding of severe neonatal listeriosis, so it should be closely examined. We report a case of neonatal listeriosis in a preterm infant with granulomatosis infantiseptica who was born to a mother with fever and acute abdominal pain, along with a review of the relevant literature.