Lactobacilli-dominated cervical microbiota in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.

BACKGROUND: To determine the association between microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and the presence of Lactobacillus crispatus- or Lactobacillus iners-dominated cervical microbiota in pregnancies with preterm prelabor rupture of membrane. Next, to assess the relationship between the presence of L. crispatus- or L. iners-dominated cervical microbiota and short-term neonatal morbidity. METHOD: A total of 311 women were included. Cervical samples were obtained using a Dacron polyester swab and amniotic fluid samples were obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis. Bacterial DNA, L. crispatus, and L. iners in the cervical samples were assessed by PCR. Cervical microbiota was assigned as L. crispatus- or L. iners-dominated when the relative abundance of L. crispatus or L. iners was ≥50% of the whole cervical microbiota, respectively. RESULTS: Women with MIAC showed a lower rate of L. crispatus-dominated cervical microbiota (21% vs. 39%; p = 0.003) than those without MIAC. Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated cervical microbiota was associated with a lower rate of early-onset sepsis (0% vs. 5%; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of L. crispatus-dominated cervical microbiota in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membrane was associated with a lower risk of intra-amniotic complications and subsequent development of early-onset sepsis of newborns.

Pentraxin 3 in Noninvasively Obtained Cervical Fluid Samples from Pregnancies Complicated by Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes.

PROBLEM: To determine the changes of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) level in noninvasively obtained cervical fluid samples from women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) based on the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and/or intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI), and intra-amniotic infection (the presence of both MIAC and IAI). METHODS OF STUDY: A total of 160 women with PPROM were included. Cervical fluid samples were obtained using a Dacron polyester swab and amniotic fluid samples were obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis. Cervical fluid PTX3 levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: PTX3 was found in all the cervical fluid samples and its levels were higher in women with MIAC, IAI, and intra-amniotic infection than in women without these conditions. When the women were categorized into four subgroups based on the presence of MIAC and/or IAI, women with intra-amniotic infection had higher cervical fluid PTX3 levels than those with sterile IAI (IAI alone), colonization (MIAC alone), or no MIAC or IAI. A cervical fluid PTX3 level of 11 ng/mL was the best value for identifying the presence of intra-amniotic infection in women with PPROM. CONCLUSIONS: PTX3 is a constituent of cervical fluid of women with PPROM. Cervical fluid PTX3 level reflects the situation in the intra-amniotic compartments of women with PPROM. Cervical fluid PTX3 is a potential marker for the noninvasive identification of intra-amniotic infection in PPROM.

Cervical Gardnerella vaginalis in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and/or intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI) and the cervical prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis DNA in pregnancies with preterm prelabor rupture of membrane (PPROM). METHOD: In total, 405 women with singleton pregnancies complicated with PPROM were included. Cervical fluid and amniotic fluid samples were collected at the time of admission. Bacterial and G. vaginalis DNA were assessed in the cervical fluid samples using quantitative PCR technique. Concentrations of interleukin-6 and MIAC were evaluated in the amniotic fluid samples. Loads of G. vaginalis DNA ≥ 1% of the total cervical bacterial DNA were used to define the cervical prevalence of G. vaginalis as abundant. Based on the MIAC and IAI, women were categorized into four groups: with intra-amniotic infection (both MIAC and IAI), with sterile IAI (IAI without MIAC), with MIAC without IAI, and without either MIAC or IAI. RESULTS: The presence of the abundant cervical G. vaginalis was related to MIAC (with: 65% vs. without: 44%; p = 0.0004) but not IAI (with: 52% vs. without: 48%; p = 0.70). Women with MIAC without IAI had the highest load of the cervical G. vaginalis DNA (median 2.0 × 104 copies DNA/mL) and the highest presence of abundant cervical G. vaginalis (73%). CONCLUSIONS: In women with PPROM, the presence of cervical G. vaginalis was associated with MIAC, mainly without the concurrent presence of IAI.

Maternal white blood cell count cannot identify the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity or intra-amniotic inflammation in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the maternal white blood cell (WBC) count at the time of hospital admission in pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) and the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and/or intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI). The second aim was to test WBC diagnostic indices with respect to the presence of MIAC and/or IAI. METHODS: Four hundred and seventy-nine women with singleton pregnancies complicated by PPROM, between February 2012 and June 2017, were included in this study. Maternal blood and amniotic fluid samples were collected at the time of admission. Maternal WBC count was assessed. Amniotic fluid interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration was measured using a point-of-care test, and IAI was characterized by an IL-6 concentration of ≥ 745 pg/mL. MIAC was diagnosed based on a positive polymerase chain reaction result for the Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis, and/or Chlamydia trachomatis and/or for the 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: Women with MIAC or IAI had higher WBC counts than those without (with MIAC: median, 12.8 × 109/L vs. without MIAC: median, 11.9 × 109/L; p = 0.0006; with IAI: median, 13.7 × 109/L vs. without IAI: median, 11.9 × 109/L; p < 0.0001). When the women were divided into four subgroups based on the presence of MIAC and/or IAI, the women with both MIAC and IAI had a higher WBC count than those with either IAI or MIAC alone, and those without MIAC and IAI [both MIAC and IAI: median, 14.0 × 109/L; IAI alone: 12.1 × 109/L (p = 0.03); MIAC alone: 12.1 × 109/L (p = 0.0001); and without MIAC and IAI: median, 11.8 × 109/L (p < 0.0001)]. No differences in the WBC counts were found among the women with IAI alone, MIAC alone, and without MIAC and IAI. CONCLUSION: The women with both MIAC and IAI had a higher maternal WBC count at the time of hospital admission than the remaining women with PPROM. The maternal WBC count at the time of admission showed poor diagnostic indices for the identification of the presence of both MIAC and IAI. Maternal WBC count at the time of admission cannot serve as a non-invasive screening tool for identifying these complications in women with PPROM.