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James A. McGregor, Janice I. French, "Pathogenesis to Treatment: Preventing Preterm Birth Mediated by Infection", Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 5, Article ID 915019, 9 pages, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1155/S1064744997000173
Pathogenesis to Treatment: Preventing Preterm Birth Mediated by Infection
Abstract
Prevention of preterm birth and subsequent newborn immaturity is a primary goal of obstetrical care worldwide. Accumulated evidence shows that 1) as many as 25–50% of preterm births are caused by common genital tract infections and subsequent maternal/fetal inflammatory responses; 2) microbial and maternal host factors (phospholipases, proteases, etc.) play roles in preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM); 3) integrated aspects of maternal and fetal host responses (inflammation, altered immune adaptations, endocrine and paracrine mechanisms) play increasingly understood roles in premature activation of parturition; and 4) identification and systemic treatment of common genitourinary infections, most importantly bacterial vaginosis (BV), reduce the risks of preterm delivery and PROM.
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
