CASE HISTORY Shakia Was in Her Fourth Month of Pregnancy and Excited

Essay

CASE HISTORY
Shakia was in her fourth month of pregnancy and excited to become a mother.A 33-year-old African American from Indianapolis,Shakia had been in good health until about a week ago,when she started to experience abdominal pain,fever,muscle aches,and diarrhea.She visited her obstetrician to make sure it was nothing serious.When the obstetrician asked whether she had eaten anything unusual in the past few weeks,Shakia recalled eating some soft Mexican cheese about three weeks earlier during a visit to Oregon with her husband.The physician sent a sample of Shakia's blood and stool to the local diagnostic laboratory and prescribed the antibiotic ampicillin as treatment.The lab reported finding a Gram-positive,non-spore-forming bacillus called Listeria monocytogenes in both the fecal and blood samples.Shakia had mild gastroenteritis and septicemia.The septicemia placed her unborn child at serious risk of infection because this bacterium can cross the placental barrier.If not treated quickly,an infected fetus has a 70% chance of dying from meningitis and multiple organ system failure.The doctor hoped she treated Shakia in time.
Is Listeria monocytogenes an extracellular,facultative intracellular,or obligate intracellular pathogen? Describe the features of infection that support your conclusion.