2023/05/17 by Roberto Romero, Maria Teresa Gervasi, Daniel B. DiGiulio +6 · 7 citations
paper · doi:10.1515/jpm-2022-0604
published in Journal of Perinatal Medicine 51(7), 886-890 (Walter de Gruyter GmbH)
crossref issued 2023/05/17 · crossref published 2023/05/17 · crossref published-online 2023/05/17 · crossref created 2023/05/17 · crossref published-print 2023/09/26 · crossref deposited 2023/10/18 · crossref indexed 2026/08/01
Abstract Objectives This study was conducted to determine whether bacteria, fungi, or archaea are detected in the amniotic fluid of patients who underwent midtrimester amniocentesis for clinical indications. Methods Amniotic fluid samples from 692 pregnancies were tested by using a combination of culture and end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Intra-amniotic inflammation was defined as an interleukin-6 concentration >2,935 pg/mL. Results Microorganisms were detected in 0.3% (2/692) of cases based on cultivation, 1.73% (12/692) based on broad-range end-point PCR, and 2% (14/692) based on the combination of both methods. However, most (13/14) of these cases did not have evidence of intra-amniotic inflammation and delivered at term. Therefore, a positive culture or end-point PCR in most patients appears to have no apparent clinical significance. Conclusions Amniotic fluid in the midtrimester of pregnancy generally does not contain bacteria, fungi, or archaea. Interpretation of amniotic fluid culture and molecular microbiologic results is aided by the assessment of the inflammatory state of the amniotic cavity. The presence of microorganisms, as determined by culture or a microbial signal in the absence of intra-amniotic inflammation, appears to be a benign condition.