Previously Unidentified Bacteria May Cause Preterm Birth

According to new study, previously unidentified bacteria may play key role in intra-amniotic inflammation and ultimately preterm births [preterm babies].

Intra amniotic inflammation and infection have long been associated with preterm births.

However, in most cases intra amniotic inflammation is often detected even though in the absence of infection.

Researchers attribute this partly to inability of current microbial culture method used in hospitals to identify uncultivated species.

In previous studies new culture-independent techniques recognized a previously unidentified oral species implicated in a case of extremely early preterm birth.

In the study amniotic fluid specimens were collected from women who experienced pregnancy complications by preterm births as well as asymptomatic women and examined using both the “gold standard” culture method and 16S rRNA-based culture independent methods.

No bacterial DNA in the amniotic fluid from the asymptomatic women was detected, however, bacterial DNA was found in all of the culture-positive samples as well as 17% of the culture-negative samples in the amniotic fluid from preterm birth mothers.

Additional species were detected in more than half of the culture-positive group and approximately two-thirds of the species identified by the culture-independent methods were not isolated by the “gold standard” culture.

“Previously unrecognized, uncultivated or difficult-to-cultivate species may play a key role in the initiation of preterm birth,” say the researchers.

Source: ScienceDaily

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