The epidemiology and healthcare costs of pregnancy-related listeriosis in British Columbia, Canada, 2005-2014

Abstract

This study investigated cases of pregnancy-related listeriosis in British Columbia (BC), Canada, from 2005 to 2014. We described all diagnosed cases in pregnant women (n = 15) and neonates (n = 7), estimated the excess healthcare costs associated with listeriosis, and calculated the fraction of stillbirths attributable to listeriosis, and mask cell sizes 1-5 due to data requirements. Pregnant women had a median gestational age of 31 weeks at listeriosis onset (range: 20-39) and on average delivered at a median of 37 weeks gestation (range: 20-40). Neonates experienced complications but no fatalities. Stillbirths occurred in 1-5 of 15 pregnant women with listeriosis, and very few (0.05-0.24%) of the 2,088 stillbirths in BC in the 10 years were attributed to listeriosis (exact numbers masked). Pregnant women and neonates with listeriosis had significantly more hospital visits, days in the hospital and physician visits than those without listeriosis. Pregnant women with listeriosis had 2.59 times higher mean total healthcare costs during their pregnancy, and neonates with listeriosis had 9.85 times higher mean total healthcare costs during their neonatal period, adjusting for various factors. Despite small case numbers and no reported deaths, these results highlight the substantial additional health service use and costs associated with individual cases of pregnancy-related listeriosis in BC.

Keywords: Listeria; Listeriosis; epidemiology; foodborne; neonatal listeriosis; pregnancy.