title: Experimental intrauterine Ureaplasma infection in sheep.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Women's and Infants' Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. tmoss@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
authors.forename: Timothy J M
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nitsos
authors.forename: Machiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: Alan H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Jobe
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Newnham
mesh_terms: 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