Final answer:
Listeriosis, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, poses a risk of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth during pregnancy. Pregnant women should avoid high-risk foods and health care providers should be notified to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The foodborne illness associated with spontaneous abortion and stillbirth during pregnancy is listeriosis, which is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This pathogen is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can cross the placenta, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe neonatal infection. For this reason, pregnant women are advised to avoid high-risk foods such as soft cheeses, refrigerated cold cuts, smoked seafood, and unpasteurized dairy products to prevent listeriosis. Early detection is critical, and health care providers should be alerted if listeriosis is suspected so the laboratory can accurately identify Listeria bacteria, which can sometimes be mistaken for diphtheroids, another group of gram-positive rods.