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Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface
07:04

Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface

Published on: July 21, 2016

Mechanisms, organisms and markers of infection in pregnancy

Suzanne M Garland1, Fiona Ní Chuileannáin, Catherine Satzke

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Royal Women's and The Royal Children's Hospitals, Women's and Children's Health, 132 Grattan Street, Carlton, Vic., Australia. garlands@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au

Journal of Reproductive Immunology
|October 19, 2002
PubMed

Premature delivery is still a significant problem in Obstetrics. It has multiple causes, with around 50% thought due to infection. Of note infection as a pathogenesis is more likely in those pre-term births occurring <30 weeks gestation and is largely sub-clinical. Potential pathogens largely arise from the ascending route and from the endogenous vaginal flora, causing chorioamnionitis. Resultant morbidity from the release of endo+/exotoxins from such pathogens, the stimulation and production of inflammatory cytokine pathways, prostaglandins, metalloproteinases includes maternal sepsis (chorioamnionitis, septicaemia, post-partum endometritis), pre-term delivery (infant pre-maturity and its consequences, increased susceptibility to cerebral palsy and neonatal sepsis). As well, infection increases mortality due to fetal loss (extreme pre-maturity) as well as severe neonatal sepsis.

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