Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Infections in Amniotic Fluid May Cause Premature Birth, More Than Previously Thought STANFORD, Calif -- August 26, 2008 -- Previously unrecognised and unidentified infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth, according to a study published in the August 26 issue of PLoS ONE. An analysis of amniotic fluid from women in preterm labour indicated that 15% of the fluid samples harboured bacteria or fungi, an increase of 50% over previous estimates. "If we could prevent these infections in the first place, or detect them sooner, we might one day be able to prevent some of these premature births," said first author Dan DiGiulio, MD, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California. "To find that this amniotic compartment, which we have traditionally viewed as somewhat sacrosanct, is infected significantly more often than we thought is a little shocking," said senior author David Relman, MD, Stanford University Medical Center. Previous analyses of the same samples using a different, more conventional method had concluded that only about 10% were infected. DiGiulio and colleagues used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to track down micro-organisms in amniotic fluid samples collected from 166 women in preterm labour at the Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan, between October 1998 and December 2002. Of the women, 113 went on to deliver their infants prematurely. Although not all of these women were infected, microbial invasion is thought to contribute significantly to the overall number of preterm births. PCR and laboratory cultures were used to determine that 25 of the 166 samples were infected with either bacteria or fungi. In addition, 17 bacterial and 1 fungal species were identified in the positive samples -- exceeding the 11 species found by conventional analysis. The investigation also turned up a novel micro-organism that may represent a previously unknown species. The researchers found that all the women in labour whose samples were positive by either PCR or by culture delivered their infants prematurely. In addition, all those who were positive by both methods delivered their babies within 1 day of the initial fluid collection. Women who were positive by only 1 method (68%) delivered within the same time period. In addition, 27% of samples from infected women who delivered their infants before 25 weeks' gestation were positive only by PCR, yet cultures from these samples falsely indicated they were not infected. The authors are now collaborating on a much larger study of fluid collected during routine amniocenteses at about the 20th week of pregnancy. They hope to determine whether infections can be detected before the onset of preterm labour, which could lead to new prevention or treatment strategies. SOURCE: Stanford University Medical Center E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version