Experimental intrauterine Ureaplasma infection in sheep.
OBJECTIVE
Prenatal Ureaplasma spp exposure is associated with preterm birth and modulates the neonates' susceptibility to respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. We hypothesized that intra-amniotic ureaplasmas would cause lung inflammation and alter fetal lung development.


METHODS
Pregnant ewes bearing singleton fetuses were given an intra-amniotic injection of 20 x 10 6 CFUs of U parvum (serovar 3) or vehicle, either 1, 3, 6, or 10 weeks before the delivery of preterm lambs at 124 days of gestation (n = 4-10 per group) for evaluation of inflammation and fetal lung maturation.


RESULTS
Ureaplasmas were recovered from amniotic and fetal lung fluids after intra-amniotic injection. Body weight and umbilical arterial pH were reduced by Ureaplasma exposure for 10 weeks ( P < .05). Ureaplasmas caused progressive lung inflammation and improvements in lung function that were associated with increased surfactant lipids (control, 0.13 +/- 0.02 micromol/kg; 10 weeks of Ureaplasma exposure, 7.43 +/- 3.0 micromol/kg; P < .001) and surfactant protein messenger RNA expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term exposure to ureaplasmas in amniotic fluid alters ovine fetal development.
Moss
Timothy J M
TJ
School of Women's and Infants' Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. tmoss@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Nitsos
Ilias
I
Ikegami
Machiko
M
Jobe
Alan H
AH
Newnham
John P
JP
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D047928:Premature Birth; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality