Listeriosis in pregnancy: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Listeriosis is a rare disease that causes mild maternal illness, but can be devastating to the fetus. Listeria's rare microbiologic features make it a difficult infection to diagnose and treat: it is an intracellular organism that hides within host cells. Because of the potentially severe consequences, it is important that obstetricians are familiar with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of listerial infection.