Can infection cause recurrent miscarriage?

Can Infection Cause Recurrent Miscarriage?

Any acute infection in pregnancy can sometimes result in miscarriage.

Listeriosis is caused by the Listeria bacterium which has the unusual ability to grow over a wide range of temperatures. Some miscarriages have been associated with this infection which can be acquired from undercooked foods and soft cheeses. Appropriate care with food preparation is particularly important during pregnancy.

The 'TORCH' infections (Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus and Herpes may be associated with miscarriage. Each of these infections, however, can occur on one occasion only as immunity is then acquired. It is, therefore, not possible for any one of these infections to be responsible for recurrent miscarriage. Toxoplasmosis is an infection acquired from the domestic cat. It has been shown that one woman in five in the UK has evidence of infection prior to pregnancy and this compares to 80% in France. The incidence of infection during pregnancy in the UK is low. Rubella is also known as German measles. Rubella infection can be prevented by immunisation. Cytomegalovirus can produce a flu-like illness. About 50% of women will have had this infection before pregnancy. Herpes infection is discussed inQ31.3.

There has recently been increasing interest in the role of bacterial infection in relation to miscarriage and premature labour. Bacterial vaginosis (Q 22.7) has been implicated in some studies but not all. The difficult question that remains to be answered is whether the bacteria that may be found in association with some miscarriages are the cause of the problem or whether they are opportunistic and proliferate as a result of the miscarriage.

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