TY - JOUR
A2 - Wald, Anna
AU - Imanishi, Maho
AU - Routh, Janell A.
AU - Klaber, Marigny
AU - Gu, Weidong
AU - Vanselow, Michelle S.
AU - Jackson, Kelly A.
AU - Sullivan-Chang, Loretta
AU - Heinrichs, Gretchen
AU - Jain, Neena
AU - Albanese, Bernadette
AU - Callaghan, William M.
AU - Mahon, Barbara E.
AU - Silk, Benjamin J.
PY - 2015
DA - 2015/02/15
TI - Estimating the Attack Rate of Pregnancy-Associated Listeriosis during a Large Outbreak
SP - 201479
VL - 2015
AB - Background. In 2011, a multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to contaminated cantaloupes raised concerns that many pregnant women might have been exposed to Listeria monocytogenes. Listeriosis during pregnancy can cause fetal death, premature delivery, and neonatal sepsis and meningitis. Little information is available to guide healthcare providers who care for asymptomatic pregnant women with suspected L. monocytogenes exposure. Methods. We tracked pregnancy-associated listeriosis cases using reportable diseases surveillance and enhanced surveillance for fetal death using vital records and inpatient fetal deaths data in Colorado. We surveyed 1,060 pregnant women about symptoms and exposures. We developed three methods to estimate how many pregnant women in Colorado ate the implicated cantaloupes, and we calculated attack rates. Results. One laboratory-confirmed case of listeriosis was associated with pregnancy. The fetal death rate did not increase significantly compared to preoutbreak periods. Approximately 6,500–12,000 pregnant women in Colorado might have eaten the contaminated cantaloupes, an attack rate of ~1 per 10,000 exposed pregnant women. Conclusions. Despite many exposures, the risk of pregnancy-associated listeriosis was low. Our methods for estimating attack rates may help during future outbreaks and product recalls. Our findings offer relevant considerations for management of asymptomatic pregnant women with possible L. monocytogenes exposure.
SN - 1064-7449
UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/201479
DO - 10.1155/2015/201479
JF - Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation
KW -
ER -