Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Farmer

Publications and source records attributed to K Farmer.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1971

Epidemic listeriosis in the newborn.

Within a three-month period 13 cases of listeriosis in the newborn were seen at the National Women's Hospital, Auckland. Eleven presented in the first 24 hours of life, the most common feature being respiratory difficulty in low birth weight infants. Meconium-stained liquor was noted in nine cases. The constant finding in all cases was an aspiration pneumonia which appeared to be of intrauterine origin from an infected amniotic cavity. There was also evidence of septicaemia in nine cases, and two infants survived meningitis which developed at 1 week. Maternal symptoms were mild and variable, and in only one case were they proved to be due to listerial infection. The mothers came from different suburbs of Auckland and no common source of infection was found.

Apnea↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemic perinatal listeriosis.

During the 11 months beginning in January, 1980, 22 cases of perinatal Listeria monocytogenes infection occurred at three obstetric hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand. Most cases were due to type 1b strains. Since the previous epidemic here in 1969, about one perinatal infection has been diagnosed annually in the same area. Women presented in preterm (11 of 22 cases) or term labor with signs of amnionitis (11 of 22 cases) and associated fetal distress and/or meconium-stained liquor (14 of 19 cases). A mild "flu"-like illness or urinary tract symptoms were common (18 of 22 women). Five fetal deaths occurred. Three were before 20 weeks of gestation. Most liveborn affected babies had early respiratory symptoms (12 of 14 cases). Meningitis occurred in 4 of 14 infants. There was one death. Vaginal carriage of L. monocytogenes was found in only 1 of 750 consecutive asymptomatic pregnant women who were tested at the time of the epidemic. Rectal carriage was found in 25 (3.3%). Pacific Island Polynesians were rectal carriers of L. monocytogenes and were represented among the epidemic cases more often than expected according to birth data (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.001, respectively). The cause of the epidemic was not discovered but shellfish and raw fish consumption may have played a part.

Adolescent↗