Predictive value of cervical cytokine, antimicrobial and microflora levels for pre-term birth in high-risk women

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 11246 - 11
• Main Authors: Manning, Rashmi, James, Catherine P., Smith, Marie C., Innes, Barbara A., Stamp, Elaine, Peebles, Donald, Bajaj-Elliott, Mona, Klein, Nigel, Bulmer, Judith N., Robson, Stephen C., Lash, Gendie E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 02.08.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13; 13/21; 631/136/3194; 692/53/2422; Adolescent; Adult; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - analysis; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - immunology; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - metabolism; Antimicrobial peptides; Biomarkers - analysis; Birth; Cervix Uteri - immunology; Cervix Uteri - microbiology; Cytokines; Cytokines - analysis; Cytokines - immunology; Cytokines - metabolism; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Gestation; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; IL-1β; Infant, Newborn; Inflammation; Interleukin 8; Microbiota - genetics; Microbiota - immunology; Microflora; multidisciplinary; Peptides; Placenta - immunology; Placenta - pathology; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Second - immunology; Premature birth; Premature Birth - diagnosis; Premature Birth - immunology; Premature Birth - pathology; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Surgery; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47756-7

Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB, delivery <37 weeks gestation), accounts for approximately 10% of births worldwide; the aetiology is multifactorial with intra-amniotic infection being one contributing factor. This study aimed to determine whether asymptomatic women with a history of sPTB or cervical surgery have altered levels of inflammatory/antimicrobial mediators and/or microflora within cervical fluid at 22–24 weeks gestation. External cervical fluid was collected from women with history of previous sPTB and/or cervical surgery at 22–24 weeks gestation (n = 135). Cytokine and antimicrobial peptides were measured on a multiplex platform or by ELISA. qPCR was performed for detection of 7 potentially pathogenic bacterial species. IL-8 and IL-1β levels were lower in women who delivered preterm compared to those who delivered at term (IL-8 P  = 0.02; IL-1β P  = 0.04). There were no differences in elafin or human beta defensin-1 protein levels between the two groups. Multiple bacterial species were detected in a higher proportion of women who delivered preterm than in those who delivered at term ( P  = 0.005). Cervical fluid IL-8 and IL-1β and microflora have the potential to be used as biomarkers to predict sPTB in high risk women.