Food-borne bacteria up miscarriage risk early in pregnancy

February 22, 2017

Feb 22: Listeria, a common food-borne bacterium, may pose a greater risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy than previously thought, says a study.

“For many years, listeria has been associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy, but particularly at the end of pregnancy,” said one of the researchers Ted Golos, Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.

“What wasn’t known with much clarity before this study is that it appears it’s a severe risk factor in early pregnancy,” Golos said.

Pregnant women are warned to avoid many of the foods -- among them unpasteurised milk and soft cheese, raw sprouts, melon and deli meats not carefully handled -- that can harbour listeria, because the bacterium is known to cause miscarriage and still-birth, and spur premature labour.

But when it occurs, listeria infection in pregnancy may go unnoticed.

For the study, four pregnant rhesus macaques at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Centre were fed doses of the listeria comparable to what one might encounter in contaminated food.

None of the monkeys showed obvious signs of infection before their pregnancies came to abrupt ends, according to the results published in the journal mBio.

But in tissue samples taken after each monkey experienced intrauterine fetal death, the researchers found that listeria had invaded the placenta -- the connection between the mother-to-be and the foetus, which usually prevents transmission of bacteria -- as well as the endometrium, the lining of the uterus.

The researchers believe the inflammation caused by the maternal immune response to the fast-moving listeria also affects the placenta, keeping it from protecting the foetus.

The results suggest listeria (and perhaps other pathogens) may be the culprit in some miscarriages that usually go without diagnosed cause.

“There are effective antibiotics available. It is treatable,” said lead author of the study Bryce Wolfe, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“The issue is that because it’s asymptomatic, the foetus may be infected by the time anyone realises the mother was infected,” Wolfe explained.

Comments

Great post. Pregnant women are warned to avoid some foods such as unpasteurized milk, raw meat, and sprouts etc. because that may harbor listeria which may cause pregnancy complications such as miscarriage and stillbirth. http://www.wellspringivfsurrogacy.com/

Nice article. Listeria, a common food-borne bacterium increases the risk of miscarriage in early stages of pregnancy. It is important to follow the food safety measures. Listeria infection in pregnancy often goes unnoticed because of lack of awareness. Expecting mothers should strictly avoid the food intake which contains listeria, as it may lead to miscarriage. To know more about pregnancy visit http://www.progenesisivf.com/

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Congenital heart disease more deadly in low-income countries

Agencies

February 4,2020

Despite tremendous advances in treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD), a new global study shows that the chances for a child to survive a CHD diagnosis is significantly less in low-income countries.

The research revealed that nearly 12 million people are currently living with CHD globally, 18.7 per cent more than in 1990.

The findings, published in The Lancet, is drawn from the first comprehensive study of congenital heart disease across 195 countries, prepared using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD).

"Previous congenital heart estimates came from few data sources, were geographically narrow and did not evaluate CHD throughout the life course," said the study authors from Children's National Hospital in the US.

This is the first time the GBD study data was used along with all available data sources and previous publications - making it the most comprehensive study on the congenital heart disease burden to date.

The study found a 34.5 per cent decline in deaths from congenital disease between 1990 to 2017. Nearly 70 per cent of deaths caused by CHD in 2017 (180,624) were in infants less than one year old.

Most CHD deaths occurred in countries within the low and low-middle socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles.

Mortality rates get lower as a country's Socio-demographic Index (SDI) rises, the study said.

According to the researchers, birth prevalence of CHD was not related to a country's socio-demographic status, but overall prevalence was much lower in the poorest countries of the world.

This is because children in these countries do not have access to life saving surgical services, they added.

"In high income countries like the United States, we diagnose some heart conditions prenatally during the 20-week ultrasound," said Gerard Martin from Children's National Hospital who contributed to the study.

"For children born in middle- and low-income countries, these data draw stark attention to what we as cardiologists already knew from our own work in these countries -- the lack of diagnostic and treatment tools leads to lower survival rates for children born with CHD," said researcher Craig Sable.

"The UN has prioritised reduction of premature deaths from heart disease, but to meet the target of 'ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age,' health policy makers will need to develop specific accountability measures that address barriers and improve access to care and treatment," the authors wrote.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Blood clotting significant cause of death in COVID-19 patients: Study

Agencies

May 2,2020

Clinician-scientists have found that Irish patients admitted to hospital with severe coronavirus (COVID-19) infection are experiencing abnormal blood clotting that contributes to death in some patients.

The research team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that abnormal blood clotting occurs in Irish patients with severe COVID-19 infection, causing micro-clots within the lungs.

According to the study, they also found that Irish patients with higher levels of blood clotting activity had a significantly worse prognosis and were more likely to require ICU admission.

"Our novel findings demonstrate that COVID-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting disorder that is primarily focussed within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with COVID-19," said Professor James O'Donnell from St James's Hospital in Ireland.

In addition to pneumonia affecting the small air sacs within the lungs, the research team has also hundreds of small blood clots throughout the lungs.

This scenario is not seen with other types of lung infection and explains why blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe COVID-19 infection, the study, published in the British Journal of Haematology said.

"Understanding how these micro-clots are being formed within the lung is critical so that we can develop more effective treatments for our patients, particularly those in high-risk groups," O'Donnell said.

"Further studies will be required to investigate whether different blood-thinning treatments may have a role in selected high-risk patients in order to reduce the risk of clot formation," Professor O'Donnell added.

According to the study, emerging evidence also shows that the abnormal blood-clotting problem in COVID-19 results in a significantly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

As of Friday morning, the cases increased to 20,612 cases in Ireland, with 1,232 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Comments