Prevalence of <i>Listeria monocytogene</i> infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo-State, Nigeria.

Individuals with low immunity, such as pregnant women, are more susceptible to contracting Listeriosis. Pregnant women can get infections that don't make them very sick but can make the baby very sick or even cause the baby to be born prematurely. This could result in the baby becoming very ill upon birth or possibly not surviving before birth. The WHO recommends that pregnant women should learn about and avoid foods that are more likely to be contaminated. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness and practices of pregnant women that could lead to an increased likelihood of acquiring listeria infections. This research examined pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Sociodemographic data was collected using a questionnaire. The information collected from the participants was studied using a computer program called SPSS version 26. The average age of the women who took part in the study was between 26 and 30 years old for 34 out of 105 samples, which is 32.4%, and between 21 and 25 years old for 28 out of 105 sample, which is 26.7%. The knowledge that pregnant women had about Listeriosis was studied. Out of 105 women, 96 (91.4%) didn't know they had Listeriosis, 9 (8.6%) did know, and none of them were ever tested for the infection. The overall knowledge score was not good, and this was true for all ages and lengths of pregnancy. However, women who have completed graduate or postgraduate studies were more likely to have heard of Listeriosis. Our research found that many people don't know much about this food sickness, which can make pregnant women and their babies very sick. Pregnant women need to be taught about the dangers of Listeriosis. This is a crucial step in ensuring that we have effective methods in prevention and management.