Dataset Information

Inflammatory and haematological markers in the maternal, umbilical cord and infant circulation in histological chorioamnionitis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The relationship between histological chorioamnionitis and haematological and biochemical markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants postnatally, is incompletely characterised. These markers are widely used in the diagnosis of maternal and neonatal infection. Our objective was to investigate the effects of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) on haematological and biochemical inflammatory markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants post-delivery.

Methods

Two hundred and forty seven mothers, delivering 325 infants, were recruited at the only tertiary perinatal centre in Western Australia. Placentae were assessed for evidence of HCA using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Maternal high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), procalcitonin, and umbilical cord hsCRP, procalcitonin, white cell count and absolute neutrophil count were measured at delivery. In infants where sepsis was clinically suspected, postnatal CRP, white cell count and absolute neutrophil count were measured up to 48 hours of age. The effect of HCA on maternal, cord and neonatal markers was evaluated by multivariable regression analysis.

Results

The median gestational age was 34 weeks and HCA was present in 26 of 247 (10.5%) placentae. Mothers whose pregnancies were complicated by HCA had higher hsCRP (median 26 (range 2-107) versus 5.6 (0-108) mg/L; P<0.001). Histological chorioamnionitis was associated with higher umbilical cord hsCRP (75(th) percentile 2.91 mg/L (range 0-63.9) versus 75(th) percentile 0 mg/L (0-45.6); P<0.001) and procalcitonin (median 0.293 (range 0.05-27.37) versus median 0.064 (range 0.01-5.24) ug/L; P<0.001), with a sustained increase in neonatal absolute neutrophil count (median 4.5 (0.1-26.4)×10(9)/L versus 3.0 (0.1-17.8)×10(9)/L), and CRP up to 48 hours post-partum (median 10 versus 6.5 mg/L) (P<0.05 for each).

Conclusion

Histological chorioamnionitis is associated with modest systemic inflammation in maternal and cord blood. These systemic changes may increase postnatally, potentially undermining their utility in the diagnosis of early-onset neonatal infection.

SUBMITTER: Howman RA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3521712 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Inflammatory and haematological markers in the maternal, umbilical cord and infant circulation in histological chorioamnionitis.

Howman Rebecca A RA Charles Adrian K AK Jacques Angela A Doherty Dorota A DA Simmer Karen K Strunk Tobias T Richmond Peter C PC Cole Catherine H CH Burgner David P DP

PloS one 20121213 12

<h4>Background</h4>The relationship between histological chorioamnionitis and haematological and biochemical markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants postnatally, is incompletely characterised. These markers are widely used in the diagnosis of maternal and neonatal infection. Our objective was to investigate the effects of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) on haematological and biochemical inflammatory markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants post-delivery.< ...[more]

PMID: 23272177

Similar Datasets

Project description:Microbial invasion of the fetus due to intra-amniotic infection can lead to a systemic inflammatory response characterized by elevated concentrations of cytokines in the umbilical cord plasma/serum. Clinical chorioamnionitis represents the maternal syndrome often associated with intra-amniotic infection, although other causes of this syndrome have been recently described. The objective of this study was to characterize the umbilical cord plasma cytokine profile in neonates born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis at term, according to the presence or absence of bacteria and/or intra-amniotic inflammation.A cross-sectional study was conducted, including patients with clinical chorioamnionitis at term (n=38; cases) and those with spontaneous term labor without clinical chorioamnionitis (n=77; controls). Women with clinical chorioamnionitis were classified according to the results of amniotic fluid culture, broad-range polymerase chain reaction coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) and amniotic fluid interleukin (IL)-6 concentration into three groups: 1) no intra-amniotic inflammation; 2) intra-amniotic inflammation without detectable microorganisms; or 3) microbial-associated intra-amniotic inflammation. A fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS) was defined as an umbilical cord plasma IL-6 concentration >11 pg/mL. The umbilical cord plasma concentrations of 29 cytokines were determined with sensitive and specific V-PLEX immunoassays. Nonparametric statistical methods were used for analysis, adjusting for a false discovery rate of 5%.1) Neonates born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis at term (considered in toto) had significantly higher median umbilical cord plasma concentrations of IL-6, IL-12p70, IL-16, IL-13, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-8, but significantly lower interferon gamma (IFN-?) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-? concentrations than neonates born to mothers with spontaneous term labor without clinical chorioamnionitis; 2) neonates born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis at term but without intra-amniotic inflammation had higher concentrations of IL-6, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-8, but lower IFN-?, than neonates not exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis, suggesting that maternal fever in the absence of intra-amniotic inflammation leads to a change in the fetal cytokine network; 3) there were significant, positive correlations between maternal and umbilical cord plasma IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations (IL-6: Spearman correlation=0.53; P<0.001; IL-8: Spearman correlation=0.42; P<0.001), consistent with placental transfer of cytokines; 4) an elevated fetal plasma IL-6 (>11 pg/mL), the diagnostic criterion for FIRS, was present in 21% of cases (8/38), and all these neonates were born to mothers with proven intra-amniotic infection; and 5) FIRS was associated with a high concentration of umbilical cord plasma IL-8, IL-10 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1.Neonates born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis at term had higher concentrations of umbilical cord plasma cytokines than those born to mothers without clinical chorioamnionitis. Even neonates exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis but not to intra-amniotic inflammation had elevated concentrations of multiple cytokines, suggesting that intrapartum fever alters the fetal immune response.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Chorioamnionitis has been linked to spontaneous preterm labor and complications such as neonatal sepsis. We hypothesized that microbial cell-free (cf) DNA would be detectable in maternal plasma in patients with chorioamnionitis and could be the basis for a non-invasive method to detect fetal exposure to microorganisms. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to determine whether next generation sequencing could detect microbial cfDNA in maternal plasma in patients with chorioamnionitis. STUDY DESIGN:Maternal plasma (n = 94) and umbilical cord plasma (n = 120) were collected during delivery at gestational age 28-41 weeks. cfDNA was extracted and sequenced. Umbilical cord plasma samples with evidence of contamination were excluded. The prevalence of microorganisms previously implicated in choriomanionitis, neonatal sepsis and intra-amniotic infections, as described in the literature, were examined to determine if there was enrichment of these microorganisms in this cohort. Specific microbial cfDNA associated with chorioamnionitis was first detected in umbilical cord plasma and confirmed in the matched maternal plasma samples (n = 77 matched pairs) among 14 cases of histologically confirmed chorioamnionitis and one case of clinical chorioamnionitis; 63 paired samples were used as controls. A correlation of rank of a given microorganism across maternal plasma and matched umbilical cord plasma was used to assess whether signals found in umbilical cord plasma were also present in maternal plasma. RESULTS:Microbial DNA sequences associated with clinical and/or histological chorioamnionitis were enriched in maternal plasma in cases with suspected chorioamnionitis when compared to controls (12/14 microorganisms, p = 0.02). Analysis of the microbial cfDNA in umbilical cord plasma among the 1,251 microorganisms detectable with this assay identified Streptococcus mitis, Ureaplasma spp., and Mycoplasma spp. in cases of suspected chorioamnionitis. This assay also detected cfDNA from Lactobacillus spp. in controls. Comparison between maternal plasma and umbilical cord plasma confirmed these signatures were also present in maternal plasma. Unbiased analysis of microorganisms with significantly correlated signal between matched maternal plasma and umbilical cord plasma identified the above listed 3 microorganisms, all of which have previously been implicated in patients with chorioamnionitis (Mycoplasma hominis p = 0.0001; Ureaplasma parvum p = 0.002; Streptococcus mitis p = 0.007). These data show that the pathogen signal relevant for chorioamnionitis can be identified in both maternal and umbilical cord plasma. CONCLUSION:This is the first report showing the detection of relevant microbial cell-free cfDNA in maternal plasma and umbilical cord plasma in patients with clinical and/or histological chorioamnionitis. These results may lead to the development of a specific assay to detect perinatal infections for targeted therapy to reduce early neonatal sepsis complications.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:No information exists about whether fetal inflammatory-response(FIR), early-onset neonatal sepsis(EONS) and chorioamnionitis(an advanced-stage of maternal inflammatory-response in extraplacental membranes) continuously increase according to the progression of inflammation in umbilical-cord(UC). The objective of current-study is to examine this-issue. METHODS:Study-population included 239singleton pregnant-women(gestational-age[GA] at delivery: 21.6~36weeks) who had inflammation in extraplacental membranes or chorionic plate (CP) and either preterm-labor or preterm-PROM. We examined FIR, and the frequency of fetal inflammatory-responses syndrome(FIRS), proven-EONS, suspected-EONS and chorioamnionitis according to the progression of inflammation in UC. The progression of inflammation in UC was divided with a slight-modification from previously reported-criteria as follows: stage0, inflammation-free UC; stage-1: umbilical phlebitis only; stage-2: involvement of at least one UA and either the other UA or UV without extension into WJ; stage-3: the extension of inflammation into WJ. FIR was gauged by umbilical-cord-plasma(UCP) CRP concentration(ng/ml) at birth, and FIRS was defined as an elevated UCP CRP concentration at birth(?200ng/ml). RESULTS:Stage-0, stage-1, stage-2 and stage-3 of inflammation in UC were present in 48.1%, 15.5%, 6.7%, and 29.7% of cases. FIR continuously increased according to the progression of inflammation in UC(Kruskal-Wallis test,P<0.001; Spearman-rank-correlation test,P<0.000001,r = 0.546). Moreover, there was a significant and stepwise increase in the frequency of FIRS, proven-EONS, suspected-EONS and chorioamnionitis according to the progression of inflammation in UC(each for P<0.000005 in both chi-square test and linear-by-linear-association). Multiple logistic-regression analysis demonstrated that the more advanced-stage in the progression of inflammation in UC(i.e., stage-1 vs. stage-2 vs. stage-3), the better predictor of suspected-EONS (Odds-ratio[OR]3.358, 95%confidence-interval[CI]:1.020-11.057 vs. OR5.147, 95%CI:1.189-22.275 vs. OR11.040, 95%CI:4.118-29.592) and chorioamnionitis(OR6.593, 95%CI:2.717-15.999 vs. OR16.508, 95%CI:3.916-69.596 vs. OR20.167, 95%CI:8.629-47.137). CONCLUSION:FIR, EONS and chorioamnionitis continuously increase according to the progression of inflammation in UC among preterm-gestations with inflammation in extraplacental membranes or CP. This finding may suggest that funisitis(inflammation in UC) is both qualitatively and quantitatively histologic-counterpart of FIRS, and a surrogate-marker for chorioamnionitis.

Project description:Background: Histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is an infection/inflammation of fetal membranes and complicates 5.2-28.5% of all live births. Exposure to HCA can have long-term consequences including abnormal neurodevelopment and an increased risk for allergic disorders and asthma later in childhood. HCA may incite epigenetic changes, which have the potential to modulate both the immune and neurological systems as well as increase the risk of related disorders later in life. However, there is limited data on the impact of HCA on epigenetics, in particular DNA methylation, and changes to immune and neurological systems in full-term human neonates. Objective: To determine differential DNA methylation in cord blood mononuclear leukocytes from neonates exposed to HCA. Methods: Cord blood was collected from 10 term neonates (5 with HCA and 5 controls without HCA) and mononuclear leukocytes were isolated. Genome-wide DNA methylation screening was performed on Genomic DNA extracted from mononuclear leukocytes. Results: Mononuclear leukocytes from cord blood of HCA-exposed neonates showed differential DNA methylation of 68 probe sets compared to the control group (44 hypermethylated, 24 hypomethylated) with a p ≤ 0.0001. Several genes involved in immune modulation and nervous system development were found to be differentially methylated. Important canonical pathways as revealed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were CREB Signaling in Neurons, FcγRIIB Signaling in B Lymphocytes, Cell Cycle: G1/S Checkpoint Regulation, Interleukin-1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 17, and 17A signaling, p53 signaling, dopamine degradation, and serotonin degradation. The diseases and disorders picked up by IPA were nervous system development and function, neurological disease, respiratory disease, immune cell trafficking, inflammatory response, and immunological disease. Conclusions: HCA induces differential DNA methylation in cord blood mononuclear leukocytes. The differentially methylated genes may contribute to inflammatory, immunological and neurodevelopmental disorders in neonates exposed to HCA.

Dataset Information

Inflammatory and haematological markers in the maternal, umbilical cord and infant circulation in histological chorioamnionitis.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Inflammatory and haematological markers in the maternal, umbilical cord and infant circulation in histological chorioamnionitis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets