How Does Neonatal Listeriosis Impact Children’s Health?

A serious disease, known as maternal-fetal listeriosis, is shown to end in miscarriage, premature birth, or a fatal infection of the newborn. Question is, what are the long-term consequences of neonatal listeriosis on the well-being of infants who survive and make it through? A group of researchers and medical professionals from the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), and inserm discovered that the growth of kids infected with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes until they approached the age of five and evaluated it with the development of infected, gestational age-matched children. The study showed that prematurity was the primary cause for the long-term effects of newborn listeriosis. With this study, parents would be able to predict the potential start of neurological sequelae as well as get better information about how their child’s health might change according to the results, which were published in a  journal titled, “The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health” on October 20, 2023.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                For the full press release, click here.