Biliary atresia associated with prenatal infection by Listeria monocytogenes.

Recent disorganization of extrahepatic bile ducts was shown in a premature infant dying at 3 hours of age of an intrauterine pneumonia associated with an amniotic infection by Listeria monocytogenes. The alimentary canal was heavily infected with Listeria and listerial abscesses were located in the periportal zones of the liver. An ascending listerial cholangitis was considered to have caused both the abscesses and the disruptive changes in the biliary tract. Heavy infection of the alimentary tract from the amniotic cavity is usual in prenatal listeriosis, and the infection may resolve postnatally without severe systemic involvement. Listeria monocytogenes should be added to the list of prenatal infections which might cause `idiopathic' biliary atresia.