Serratia marcescens as a cause of unfavorable outcome in the twin pregnancy.

Several Serratia species are widely distributed in nature, but Serratia marcescens is the only species frequently isolated in hospitals. This pathogen is mainly responsible for nosocomial infection, mostly in immunocompromised hosts. A 26-year-old woman with a twin pregnancy, regularly controlled, was hospitalized at 24 + 5 weeks of gestation due to scant vaginal bleeding, lower abdominal pain, and body temperature up to 37.5°C. Gynecological examination revealed bleeding accompanied by dilatation of the cervix. The laboratory analyses revealed leukocytosis with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Treatment was initiated with intravenous antibiotic administration. After admission, fetal membranes spontaneously ruptured, and an extremely preterm dichorionic female twin birth occurred at 25 + 0 weeks of gestation. Both infants died two days after labor. Pathological and microbiological analyses revealed chorioamnionitis caused by S. marcescens. According to the antibiogram, antibiotic treatment was continued for the next 7 days. The examination of cervical and vaginal discharge samples was negative three days and two weeks after therapy. S. marcescens may cause spontaneous miscarriages and, in this important case, caused loss of discordant twins in an extremely preterm birth by an immunocompetent patient. Infection by S. marcescens cannot be excluded as a cause of discordant growth and needs to be confirmed by further research.

Gestational choriocarcinoma of the cervix.

Choriocarcinoma is the most aggressive, malignant form of gestational trophoblastic disease and has varying incidence, increasing in patients older than 40 years. It usually develops after a malignant alteration in a molar pregnancy, but rarely after an abortion or normal or ectopic pregnancies. The most common localization is the uterus, but it can also be found rarely in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, vulva, cervix or pelvic region. A 38-year-old multiparous woman, with no complications in three previous labors and four miscarriages, presented to her gynecologist one year after the last miscarriage complaining of abnormal vaginal bleeding. Clinical examinations showed normal ultrasound and histopathology findings. Blood analysis demonstrated moderate anemia and low elevated serum b-human chorionic gonadotropin. Due to profuse hemorrhage and anemia after the curettage, the medical council decided that a total hysterectomy should be performed. Macroscopic examination of the post-operative material showed regular morphology of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. However, a whitish brown lesion with a maximum diameter of 22 mm was noted in a longitudinal section of the cervix. Using standard histopathology and immunohistochemical analysis, a cervical gestational choriocarcinoma was diagnosed. Knowledge of the characteristics of the choriocarcinoma is very important for accurate diagnosis and treatment, especially when the tumor is localized on the rare locations and where a high level of serum b-human chorionic gonadotropin is absent.