Sepsis due to gestational psittacosis: A multidisciplinary approach within a perinatological center--review of reported cases.

Chlamydia psittaci is associated with significant morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, and its rarity can delay early diagnosis and treatment. A farmer's wife presented at 31 weeks with febrile illness and developed signs of septic shock, indicating immediate delivery. The child developed uneventfully. The mother survived after symptomatic mechanical ventilation, including extracorporeal lung assistance, for 11 days due to multi-organ failure. Only two weeks after admission antibody titres against Chlamydia were rising. The placenta demonstrated acute intervillositis and destruction of throphoblastic cells. Retrospectively, the infection was presumed to derive from infected pregnant sheep. Pregnant women should be advised to avoid contact with sheep and their gestational products. Proper history, early recognition and appropriate management is mandatory for survival of both mother and child.