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Brief Report

Case report: vertical transmission of Plesiomonas shigelloides. Is it time to strengthen information on safety concerns for raw seafood dietary exposure in pregnancy?

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Article: 2220061 | Received 18 Mar 2023, Accepted 26 May 2023, Published online: 04 Jun 2023
 

Abstract

The consumption of raw seafood, generally considered to be a healthy food, has greatly increased worldwide. Pathogens of fish can cause foodborne illnesses in humans, especially following the consumption of raw seafood from contaminated water.

Foodborne illness in pregnant women is seldom the cause of neonatal infection, but, as in the reported cases, it has been associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality.

We present the case of a newborn with septicemia and meningitis caused by Plesiomonas shigelloides acquired via the transplacental route. There was a maternal history of ingestion of raw seafood 1 week prior to delivery. A few similar cases are described in the existing literature, which reports 7 neonatal deaths.

Therefore, the primary objective of this paper is to highlight the fact that the popularity of raw seafood such as sushi, sashimi, and oysters, requires an improvement in dietary advice regarding unsafe choices in pregnancy in order to avoid preventable foodborne diseases, sometimes fatal for the newborn.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research received no external funding.