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High-density vaginal Ureaplasma urealyticum colonization as a risk factor for chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery
M Abele-Horn1, M Scholz, C Wolff
1Institute of Microbiology, Julius-Maximilians-University, Wuerzburg, Germany.
Background:
The aim of this case control study was to investigate the influence of genital Ureaplasma urealyticum colonization on pregnancy outcome.
Methods:
One hundred and seventy-two women colonized with Ureaplasma urealyticum without co-existing other infections and 123 women with negative cultures for Ureaplasma urealyticum were enrolled. In a multivariate analysis the influence of quantitative Ureaplasma urealyticum colonization level was determined.
Results:
Compared to the negative women increasing colonization with Ureaplasma urealyticum was associated with a significant decrease of birth weight (p<0.0001) and gestational age (p<0.0001) and with a significant increase of chorioamnionitis (p<0.0001) and preterm delivery (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis high-density Ureaplasma urealyticum colonization was an independent risk factor for chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery, whereas low colonization levels had no effect on an adverse outcome of pregnancy.
Conclusions:
The degree of colonization with Ureaplasma urealyticum correlates strongly with an adverse effect on pregnancy outcome.