Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 May 1;40(5S):S26-S30.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002859.

Perinatal Infections With Ureaplasma

Kim Stol  1 , Jop Jans  2 , Lisa Ott de Bruin  2 , Wendy Unger  3 , Annemarie van Rossum  1
Affiliations
Review

Perinatal Infections With Ureaplasma

Kim Stol et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. .

Abstract

Ureaplasma species are increasingly recognized as relevant pathogens in prenatal, perinatal and postnatal morbidity. They are commonly found as commensals on the mucous membranes of the lower urogenital tract of pregnant women, but when ascending, they can cause bacterial vaginosis, chorioamnionitis, premature birth and postnatal morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and early-onset neonatal sepsis and meningitis. The detection of Ureaplasma species is challenging and is not covered by routine diagnostics, and current empiric antibiotic treatment in neonates suspected of infection is not directed against Ureaplasma species. The aim of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology of Ureaplasma infections, the clinical consequences and the current difficulties in diagnosis and treatment by providing an overview of the current literature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Cassell GH, Waites KB, Watson HL, et al. Ureaplasma urealyticum intrauterine infection: role in prematurity and disease in newborns. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1993; 6:69–87
    1. Gerber S, Vial Y, Hohlfeld P, et al. Detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum in second-trimester amniotic fluid by polymerase chain reaction correlates with subsequent preterm labor and delivery. J Infect Dis. 2003; 187:518–521
    1. Yoon BH, Romero R, Moon J, et al. Differences in the fetal interleukin-6 response to microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity between term and preterm gestation. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2003; 13:32–38
    1. Musilova I, Andrys C, Drahosova M, et al. Amniotic fluid clusterin in pregnancies complicated by the preterm prelabor rupture of membranes. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2017; 30:2529–2537
    1. Stepan M, Cobo T, Maly J, et al. Neonatal outcomes in subgroups of women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes before 34 weeks. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2016; 29:2373–2377

MeSH terms