First Trimester Typhoid Fever with Vertical Transmission of Salmonella Typhi, an Intracellular Organism

We report a case in which placental abruption occurred at 16 weeks following first trimester diagnosis and treatment for typhoid fever. Unexpectedly Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) was found in fetal tissues at autopsy. Using information from the murine model of typhoid fever in pregn...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marguerite B. Vigliani, Anna I. Bakardjiev
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2013-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/973297
Description
Summary:We report a case in which placental abruption occurred at 16 weeks following first trimester diagnosis and treatment for typhoid fever. Unexpectedly Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) was found in fetal tissues at autopsy. Using information from the murine model of typhoid fever in pregnancy, we draw parallels between S. Typhi and L. monocytogenes to develop a plausible hypothesis to explain how this organism was able to cross the placenta in the first trimester to cause abruption, inflammation, and expulsion of the fetus and placenta. We hope that this model for understanding placental infections by the hematogenous route helps to raise awareness that organisms not typically associated with TORCH infection can nevertheless cause placental infection and pregnancy loss.
ISSN:1687-9627
1687-9635