Molecular Detection of Listeria monocytogenes among Sudanese Pregnant Women with Pervious Miscarriage in Khartoum State, Sudan

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is an emerging food-borne pathogen and causative agent of listeriosis. Clinical manifestation of invasive listeriosis is usually severe and includes sepsis and meningoencephalitis.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in pregnant women with spontaneous abortions or having a history of spontaneous abortions using PCR.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 50 samples (vaginal and high vaginal swabs) were collected from 50 women with spontaneous abortion hospitalized in Omdurman Maternity Hospital and Al Saudi Hospital in Khartoum State. Each sample was immersed in a plastic swab tube containing 5 ml of Tris Hcl buffer (PH 8.0) and transported to a research laboratory in the Sudan University of Science and Technology as soon as possible for the direct DNA extraction and PCR.

Results: L. monocytogenes DNA was detected from 10% samples. 3/50 (6%) and 2/50 (4%) were detected from vaginal and high vaginal swabs, respectively. The most affected age group with Listeria infection was 31-36 years old, representing 2/19 (10.5%) of aborted women. The most aborted women 3/25 (12%) with Listeria infection had previous abortions within the second trimester.

Conclusion: This study concluded that there was a different percentage of prevalence between the vaginal and high vaginal swab samples, and the most cases of listeriosis found in the second trimester gestational age of pregnant women at sampling. Besides, L. monocytogenes has no association with the spontaneous miscarriage of Sudanese pregnant women.