[The bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect of amniotic fluid (author's transl)]

The bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect of 100 samples of amniotic fluid (LA) was studied against 5 bacterial species that are responsible for neonatal infections. These results show that there is a bacteriostatic activity in liquor. 52 specimens of liquor amnii (52%) were shown to be active against at least one of the 5 bacterial specimens studied. 32 samples of liquor (32%) were active against Listeria monocytogenes, 21 (21%) against Flavobacterium meningosepticum, 18 (18%) against Escherichia coli, 17 (17%) against group B streptococci and 7 (7%) against Bacteroides fragilis. A simultaneous study of the 6 types of germs show a separate characteristics of this activity. In this way the number of samples of liquor that were active against one or at the same time against 2, 3, 4 or 5 bacteria were respectively 24, 19, 5, 2 and 2. The bacteriostatic effect was more frequently active in those samples of liquor which were studied near term (57.5%) than in the samples studied nearer the beginning of pregnancy (31.5%). All the same, this difference is not statistically significant. There was no difference in the antibacterial activity of samples of liquor from normal and from abnormal pregnancies. The bacterial effect was found only in 12% of samples of liquor, particularly against streptococcus B (8%) and against Listeria monocytogenes (4%). This bactericidal effect was only found after the 31st week of amenorrhoea.