妊娠期妇女弓形体感染对胎婴儿生长发育的影响

目的　探讨妊娠期妇女弓形体 (Tox)感染对胎婴儿生长发育的影响。方法　采用酶联免疫吸附法检测 3 90 8例孕妇外周血中Tox IgM ,对Tox IgM阳性孕妇进一步检测其新生儿脐血中Tox IgM ;应用聚合酶链反应技术检测孕妇流产物中Tox DNA ,其中新生儿脐血Tox IgM或绒毛膜组织中Tox DNA阳性者 95例为感染组 ,阴性者 1 1 9例为非感染组。采用不同监测方法动态观察两组孕妇的妊娠结局和新生儿出生后 3个月及 1 2个月时智力发育状况 ,以及采用早期干预措施后出生 1年及 4年的两组婴幼儿语言IQ、操作IQ及总IQ。结果　感染组孕妇发生流产 1 2例 (1 2 6 % )、死胎 5例(5 3 % )、早产 4例 (4 2 % )、胎儿生长受限 (FGR) 4例 (4 2 % )及畸形 3例 (3 2 % )。非感染孕妇组发生流产 3例 (2 7% )、死胎 1例 (0 9% )、早产 2例 (1 8% )、FGR 2例 (1 8% )及胎儿畸形 1例 (0 9% )。两组比较 ,差异有极显著性 (P <0 0 1 )。感染组的相对危险度 (RR)分别为 :流产 4 7、死胎 5 9、早产 2 3、FGR 2 3及胎儿畸形 3 6。感染组婴幼儿智力发育指数为 93± 1 3 ,运动发育指数为 1 0 1± 1 6。明显低于非感染组的 1 0 7± 1 7和 1 1 1± 1 3 ,两组比较 ,差异有显著性 (P <0 0 5)。采用干预措施后出生 1年及4年 ,感染组婴幼儿语     

Latent cervical virus infection as a possible cause of early abortion]

Cervical smears of 50 women who had an abortion were examined by dot-blot hybridization for human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA. HPV DNA type 16 or 18 positivity was shown in 17.6% of the cases; in the aborted material, however, it amounted to 30.8%. IgM-positive titres were present in a few cases. In cervical smears of intact pregnancies, positivity for HPV DNA types 6 and 11 was detected in 9.5% and for the HSV DNA types 1 and 2 and CMV DNA in 48.0% of the cases. In this group of patients mostly positive IgM and IgG titers were present.     

Use of vancomycin in treating staphylococcal septicemia in newborns]

The authors report the results of vancomycin treatment of staphylococcal septicemia in 26 newborns, including 17 prematures and 9 full-term. It was found, that all coagulase-negative strains and 91% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to this antibiotic. Complete cure in 65% and clinical improvement in 10% were obtained. Death (12%) in very low birth weight prematures were due to secondary complications of septicemia, congenital malformations and intracerebral haemorrhages. Administration of vancomycin in generally accepted doses caused no side effects and is worth in newborns, in which other antibiotics has been given unsuccessfully.     

Theoretical research for therapy of infection]

Intractable diseases have been showing a steady increase in recent years. Effective antimicrobial treatment is therefore of the utmost importance. Aminoglycosides and quinolones act in a dose-dependent manner and also exert a postantibiotic effect (PAE), they can therefore be given in large doses at a time with long intervals between administrations. beta-lactams, on the other hand, are characterized by time-dependent antimicrobial action and no PAE towards gram-negative bacteria, so they must be administered at relatively frequent intervals to maintain their concentration at the required level of efficacy.     

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule and C-reactive protein as early markers of infection in newborns

In order to find a reliable early marker of infection in newborns a study with simultaneous determination of soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) was planned. Prospectively 90 babies < 5 days of age suspect of infection were included. Retrospectively this population was classified into an "infected" group (n = 45) and a "non-infected" group (n = 45). For each of these two groups we calculated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of sICAM-1 and CRP as early markers of infection. We determined the best cut-off level for sICAM-1 to be 300 micrograms/l and for CRP 5 mg/l. As a biochemical test for infection in the newborns the sensitivity and negative predictive value for CRP were 0.69 and 0.73 respectively. When sICAM-1 was added and CRP and s-ICAM-1 were used in combination the sensitivity improved significantly to 0.93, p < 0.01 and the negative predictive value improved to 0.92, p < 0.05. In normal 5-8 days old babies' sICAM-1 was significantly higher than at birth (cord blood), p < 0.0001. In conclusion, sICAM-1 and CRP in combination are better than CRP as a primary test for identification of infection in babies < 5 days of age.     

High levels of IgM antibodies specific for Toxoplasma gondii in pregnancy 12 years after primary toxoplasma infection. Case report

A case of high levels of specific IgM antibodies registered by the immunosorbent agglutination assay (ISAgA) in a pregnant woman with a history of toxoplasmosis is reported. The patient had acute lymphoglandular toxoplasmosis diagnosed serologically by increases in the specific antibody titer detected by the Sabin-Feldman test (SFT) and pathohistologically 12 years before pregnancy. In pregnancy, she had stable titers of specific antibodies registered by the SFT, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), indirect hemagglutination test (IHAT) and direct agglutination test. Specific IgM antibodies were detected by the ISAgA but not by the IgM-IFAT, IgM-ELISA and IgM-IHAT. She had a normal pregnancy and gave birth to a clinically healthy baby who had a negative ISAgA finding at 7 days of age. This case indicates that ISAgA is not necessarily a marker of recent infection and is therefore not reliable for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.     

New methods for diagnosing infection in pregnancy]

Maternal infections during pregnancy are of special relevance because of the risk of transmission to the fetus. Besides serological methods of diagnosing acute maternal infection, new approaches to assess fetal involvement have been made by invasive procedures, such as ultrasound-guided fetal blood sampling or amniocentesis. The most relevant infections in pregnancy are briefly reviewed with their incidence, consequences of fetal infection, and standard diagnostic procedures. Immunological methods are handicapped by the immaturity of the fetal immune system; direct culture is complicated and time-consuming. The application of molecular biological methods to directly identify the RNA- or DNA-sequences of the infectious agent may be an alternative. Two methods, polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) and in-situ hybridization (ISH) are explained. Broad clinical use is still hindered by problems in specificity and quantitative accuracy. Nevertheless, successful diagnosis of most of the relevant infections in pregnancy by these molecular biological methods, is published, and discussed in a review of the recent literature.     

C-reactive protein and acute-phase proteins in monitoring infection caused by premature rupture of membranes]

Early detection of infection is of utmost importance during the conservative management of premature rupture of the membranes (PROM). Sensitivities of C-reactive protein (CRP) and acute-phase proteins (APP) in predicting the infection induced by PROM were studied. The results showed that CRP could demonstrate clinical or subclinical infection with a sensitivity of 100% and 86.7% respectively, and no false positivity was observed. CRP increased remarkably at least 24 hours earlier than that of other parameters when infection occurred. On the other hand the sensitivity of APP (64.1%) was lower with false positivity. Thus, CRP may be used in clinical practice to predict infection resulted from PROM during conservative management.     

A prospective study of microbial infection in stillbirths and early neonatal death

No morphologic cause of death was found in 67.8% of 33 perinatal deaths. The mothers had experienced a previous loss in 48% of cases. Inflammation occurred in 65.6% of the cases of perinatal death compared to 4% of a control group (p less than 0.001) and in 73.1% of organism-positive cases of perinatal death compared to 7.1% of organism-positive cases of the control group (p less than 0.001). Incidence of maternal fever or prolonged membrane rupture was not statistically significant. Bacteria were present in 33.3% of the cases of perinatal death (not significant), with more pathogenic strains occurring in this group (p = 0.0028); 75.0% had inflammation compared to 0% of the control group (not significant). Genital mycoplasmas were detected in 78.8% of cases of perinatal death compared to 32.3% of control cases (p less than 0.001). Positive cultures (p = 0.0142) and elevated antibody titers in the fetus or neonate (p = 0.00052) or in the mother (p = 0.0122) occurred significantly more often than in control cases. Inflammation occurred in 78.9% of mycoplasma cases (p = 0.00032); incidences of maternal fever and prolonged membrane rupture were not significantly different. In perinatal death cases 20% had evidence of viruses, and 3.2% had evidence of chlamydia. Evidence of mixed microorganisms occurred in 46% of cases of perinatal death. However, 78.6% (11 of 14) with only one organism had Ureaplasma urealyticum (33.3% overall). Of the Ureaplasma-positive cases, 72.7% had inflammation, 45.5% had fever, and only 18.2% had prolonged membrane rupture compared to 28.6%, 0%, and 16.6%, respectively, in a negative-microorganism group with perinatal deaths. Our observations strongly support the concept that infection is a major cause of perinatal death and that genital mycoplasmas play a significant role.     

C-reactive protein: an early marker for neonatal bacterial infection due to prolonged rupture of amniotic membranes and/or amnionitis

The C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration was determined in 25 infants whose mothers had presented with prolonged rupture of amniotic membranes (PROM) and/or amnionitis. CRP was positive (i.e. greater than or equal to 6 mg/l) within the first 6 hrs of life in 10 and negative in 15 infants. Clinically, all infants with positive CRP developed symptoms suggesting bacterial infection and both the absolute immature neutrophil counts as well as the ratio immature/total neutrophils were significantly higher in them on day 2 of life than in infants with negative CRP. Blood cultures were only positive in infants with positive CRP. Thus CRP can be regarded as an early marker for neonatal bacterial infection due to PROM and/or amnionitis.     

Implementation of guidelines for preventing early onset group B streptococcal infection

Early onset Group B Streptococcus (EOGBS) disease, defined by an onset within the first 72 hours of life, occurs in 1.3 to 3.7 per 1,000 live births. The authors sought to determine the impact of the new CDC/AAP/ACOG guidelines on the prepartum screening practice, intrapartum management, incidence of EOGBS infection, and evaluation of neonates born to GBS colonized women at University Macdonald Women's Hospital (Cleveland, OH). A retrospective analysis by chart review was conducted from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 1997 of women identified as GBS colonized during prenatal screening. These women were then divided into 2 groups: period I, women who delivered January 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996 (before institutional implementation of the guidelines for management of GBS colonization]; and period II, women who delivered July 1, 1996 to December 31, 1997 after implementation of the guidelines. A chart review was conducted for infants 72 hours old, and GBS culture positive (blood or CSF) for the same time period. In complying with the new screening and treatment guidelines, there was a significant increase in the number of mothers screened and the detection of maternal colonization, plus a 63% reduction in EOGBS. There was also a substantial reduction in the number of invasive procedures on the neonates. The authors conclude that the new guidelines are both medically and economically effective.     

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in the prediction of early pregnancy failure

Maternal circulating pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) was measured in 51 patients with vaginal bleeding in the first half of pregnancy. Concentrations of PAPP-A were consistently lower in pregnancies which failed. In the prediction of early pregnancy failure, the predictive value of depressed maternal PAPP-A levels was 58%, the sensitivity was 91.9%, and specificity was 95.1%. These results compared favorably with other biochemical tests of placental function. However, if fetal life was demonstrated ultrasonically, depressed levels of PAPP-A substantially differentiated between those pregnancies which continued normally and those which did not, suggesting that PAPP-A estimations would be of clinical value in cases previously beyond the reach of any diagnostic measure.     

Heterosexual transmission of HIV infection]

The AIDS epidemic has spread rapidly in Africa among the urban impoverished where multiple sexual partners and sexually transmitted diseases are common. Over 80% of the 9 million Africans who will develop AIDS before the year 2000 will have been contaminated sexually. Poverty, multiple sexual partners in the framework of prostitution, and drug addiction are responsible for rapid spread of HIV infection in Southeast Asia, the West India, and Brazil. Drug addiction has played a major role in diffusion of HIV into the general population of Europe and the US. Prevalence rates are much higher in sexually transmitted disease centers in France and the US than among blood donors or pregnant women. Sexually transmitted diseases and heterosexual transmission have been studied in Africas since diagnostic tests became available. Several studies, the majority conducted among prostitutes in Nairobi or Kinshasa and their clients, allow establishment of a list of sexually transmitted diseases associated with increased risk of seroconversion. Genital ulcers within the past 6 months presented a relative risk of 2-4 depending on the series. Urethral or cervical gonorrhea has a lower relative risk of 1.2 in most studies. Absence of circumcision was also a risk factor. Studies were subsequently conducted in Europe on factors favoring sexual transmission. 513 heterosexual couples together for a minimum duration of 18 months and an average of 38 months were included in the Multicenter European Study conducted in 10 centers in 9 countries. The "index" subject was male in 400 cases and female in 113. At entry into the study, 73 of 400 males (18.2%) and 10 of 113 females (8.8%) had already infected their partners. Duration of union, frequency of intercourse, mode of transmission of the index subject, and oral contraceptive use had no effect on risk of transmission. Factors increasing risk of infection included the severity of immunosuppression of the index subject, whether judged by clinical classification of stage 4 vs. earlier stages, or by a level of CD4 lymphocytes of under 200 vs. over 200. The overall relative risk is 2.4 if there is a history of sexually transmitted disease in the past 5 years. Women are particularly vulnerable to the risk of sodomy, with a relative risk of 5.1 and an increase in there risk of transmission from 11.3 to 40%. Age over 45 is associated with an increase from 17 to 44% and a relative risk of 3.4 in women, probably because of greater fragility of the mucus in the postmenopausal period. For men, the relative risk of intercourse during menstruation is 9.6 and the rate increases from 3% to 20%. The greater risk of male to female transmission confirms impressions of earlier studies but should not be regarded as definitive. Condom use was shown to be effective in follow- up of discordant couples. 9 seroconversions occurred in an average follow-up of 12 months among 89 couples not using condoms, compared to 0 in 80 couples regularly using them.