RECURRENT VILLITIS OF BACTERIAL ETIOLOGY

Recurrent placental villitis is an uncommon clinicopathologic entity a ssociated with a very high perinatal mortality rate. While most cases are idiopathic, other cases may have a treatable infections cause. Her e, a mother with recurrent fetal losses, each showing chronic villitis associated with rod shaped bacilli as demonstrated by Steiner strain, is presented. The key feature separating this and other similar cases from idiopathic villitis is a pleomorphic inflammatory infiltrate inc luding lymphocytes, macrophages, eosinophils, plasma cells, and neutro phils.