Acinetobacter baumannii infection during pregnancy and puerperium

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant bacterium that is normally a commensal pathogen. This bacterium can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, fever and septicaemia, because of limited treatment options. This case report describes a cervical A. baumannii infection during pregnancy and puerperium in a case of a patient treated in our hospital, because of insufficiency of cervix diagnosed in the 28 + 3 week of gestation. In spite of antibiotic treatment, the patient developed increasing contractions and chorioamnionitis, resulting in caesarean section in the 31st week of gestation. Moreover, although being treated with carbapenems, the patient presented postpartal with fever and septic symptoms, which could only be treated by escalation of the dosage of the given carbapenem. In conclusion, A. baumannii can lead to premature contractions and can be associated with chorioamnionitis during pregnancy. Moreover, it can also cause septic complications in the puerperium associated with long duration of hospitalisation. The management and therapy of this vaginal infection during pregnancy and puerperium is a real challenge to gynaecologists and obstetricians. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.