Relationship between cervical mucus interleukin-8 concentrations and vaginal bacteria in pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
High interleukin (IL)-8 concentration in cervical mucus in the second trimester is a risk factor for premature birth. We investigated the relationship between vaginal pathogens and IL-8 in cervical mucus.


METHODS
In 501 women with single pregnancy, vaginal secretions were cultured for bacteria and cervical mucus IL-8 concentrations were measured between 20 and 24 gestational weeks.


RESULTS
Lactobacillus species were detected in 56.0% of 84 subjects with high IL-8 (> or =377 ng/mL), significantly less often than in 417 subjects with IL-8 below 377 ng/mL (84.7%; P < 0.0001). Anaerobic pathogens were detected in 83.3% of high IL-8 subjects, significantly more often than in normal IL-8 subjects (43.9%; P < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, cervical IL-8 was significantly high only in subjects without Lactobacillus species; they showed a significantly higher prematurity rate than Lactobacillus-positive subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Absence of vaginal Lactobacilli was associated with increased cervical IL-8 and increased risk of premature delivery.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyoma, Japan.
Masatoshi
M
Sakai
Akihiko
A
Ishiyama
Mika
M
Tabata
Yasushi
Y
Sasaki
Satoshi
S
Yoneda
Arihiro
A
Shiozaki
Shigeru
S
Saito
D000328:Adult; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D014621:Vagina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*
D016209:Interleukin-8