Effects of pregnancy-associated Listeria monocytogenes infection: necrotizing hepatitis due to impaired maternal immune response and significantly increased abortion rate

• DOI: 10.1007/s00428-002-0649-2
• Publication Date: 2003-02-13T04:21:55Z
• Authors: Maja Abram; Dirk Schlüter; Darinka Vuckovic; Branka Waber; Miljenko Doric; Martina Deckert
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Immunity, Cellular; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Placenta; Hepatitis, Animal; Listeria monocytogenes; 3. Good health; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Disease Models, Animal; Immunocompromised Host; Mice; Necrosis; 03 medical and health sciences; listeriosis; pregnancy; cytokines; chemokines; Pregnancy; Embryo Loss; Animals; Female; Listeriosis; RNA, Messenger; Chemokines; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious

The impact of L. monocytogenes infection on maternal immune responses as well as on the outcome of pregnancy was studied in a murine model of pregnancy-associated listeriosis. Mice infected i.v. with L. monocytogenes at day 15 of pregnancy showed a significantly impaired bacterial elimination, which resulted in a severe necrotizing hemorrhagic hepatitis. The aggravated course of the infection could be attributed to a suppressed transcription and production of anti-listerial, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, namely interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-12p40, inducible nitric oxide synthase, murine monokine induced by interferon-gamma, and interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10. In addition, listeriosis significantly increased the abortion rate. Infection of the placenta and fetuses was characterized by placental and fetal necrosis with unrestricted bacterial multiplication. A weak transcription of anti-listerial cytokines in the placenta in the absence of a cellular immune response could not prevent the fatal outcome of pregnancy-associated listeriosis.