Leptospirosis in pregnancy and its effect on the fetus: case report and review

We report the case of a pregnant woman with leptospirosis who gave birth to a healthy baby. We also review 15 previously reported cases of leptospirosis in pregnancy. Of these 15 cases, eight women had abortions, two delivered healthy babies, and four delivered babies who had signs of active leptosp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inClinical infectious diseases Vol. 17; no. 2; p. 241
Main Authors Shaked, Y, Shpilberg, O, Samra, D, Samra, Y
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.08.1993
Subjects
Abortion, Spontaneous - etiology
Adult
Female
Fetus - microbiology
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Leptospirosis - complications
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
Pregnancy Outcome
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:We report the case of a pregnant woman with leptospirosis who gave birth to a healthy baby. We also review 15 previously reported cases of leptospirosis in pregnancy. Of these 15 cases, eight women had abortions, two delivered healthy babies, and four delivered babies who had signs of active leptospirosis; in one case, the fate of the fetus was not stated. It appears that women are more likely to spontaneously abort if leptospirosis occurs in the early months of pregnancy. Since congenital infection is rare, leptospirosis should not necessarily be considered an indication to terminate pregnancy. Increased awareness of the possibility of leptospirosis for pregnant women who live in areas where the disease is endemic is of utmost importance for early detection and treatment of the disease and, thus, for the safety of the fetus.
ISSN:1058-4838
DOI:10.1093/clinids/17.2.241