Elsevier

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Volume 87, Issue 1, January 1996, Pages 122-127
Obstetrics & Gynecology

Ureaplasma urealyticum infection of the placenta in pregnancies that ended prematurely**

https://doi.org/10.1016/0029-7844(95)00376-2Get rights and content

Objective

To investigate the relationship between Ureaplasma urealyticum infection of the placenta and premature onset of labor.

Methods

We studied 647 pregnancies that resulted in the live birth of an infant weighing less than 1501 g. The chorionic surface of the placenta was cultured for U urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and group B streptococci.

Results

The rate of ureaplasma isolation increased with increasing interval between rupture of membranes and delivery. When analyses were limited to the 96 singleton pregnancies that ended within 1 hour of rupture of membranes and before the 29th week of gestation, U urealyticum was prominently associated with an increased risk of premature onset of labor (P = .008 unadjusted, and P = .05 when adjustment was made for all potential confounders). Ureaplasma infection rate was lowest in pregnancies terminated because of severe maternal preeclampsia or progressive fetal growth restriction.

Conclusion

Ureaplasma urealyticum infection is associated with premature onset of labor and with increasing duration of time between rupture of membranes and delivery. Eradication of ureaplasmas from the urogenital tract of women and their partners, ideally before conception, should be considered.

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      Citation Excerpt :

      After treatment with erythromycin, repeat amniocentesis revealed a sterile amniotic cavity and the pregnancy continued uneventfully to term. An observational study of placental culture in successive pregnancies ending with a neonate with a birth weight of 1500 g or less revealed that presence of U urealyticum was associated with premature onset of labor as well as a decreased duration of time between rupture of membranes and delivery.30 Although not demonstrative of causality, a case-control study involving preterm labor subjects with a vaginal culture positive for U urealyticum showed that treatment with erythromycin extended the gestation and was associated with subsequent improvements in birth weight, neonatal morbidity, and shorter mean neonatal hospitalization.31

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    **

    Support for this work was provided by a grant (NS 27306) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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