Clinical chorioamnionitis at term: definition, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Eunjung Jung, Roberto Romero, Manaphat Suksai, Francesca Gotsch, Piya Chaemsaithong, Offer Erez, Agustin Conde-Agudelo, Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Stanley M Berry, Arun Meyyazhagan, Bo Hyun Yoon

Journal: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2024;230(3S):S807-S840

PMID: 38233317

Free Full Text on PubMed Central View on PubMed

Abstract

Clinical chorioamnionitis, the most common infection-related diagnosis in labor and delivery units, is an antecedent of puerperal infection and neonatal sepsis. The condition is suspected when intrapartum fever is associated with two other maternal and fetal signs of local or systemic inflammation (eg, maternal tachycardia, uterine tenderness, maternal leukocytosis, malodorous vaginal discharge or amniotic fluid, and fetal tachycardia). Clinical chorioamnionitis is a syndrome caused by intraamniotic infection, sterile intraamniotic inflammation (inflammation without bacteria), or systemic maternal inflammation induced by epidural analgesia. In cases of uncertainty, a definitive diagnosis can be made by analyzing amniotic fluid with methods to detect bacteria (Gram stain, culture, or microbial nucleic acid) and inflammation (white blood cell count, glucose concentration, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, matrix metalloproteinase-8). The most common microorganisms are Ureaplasma species, and polymicrobial infections occur in 70% of cases. The fetal attack rate is low, and the rate of positive neonatal blood cultures ranges between 0.2% and 4%. Intrapartum antibiotic administration is the standard treatment to reduce neonatal sepsis. Treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin have been recommended by professional societies, although other antibiotic regimens, eg, cephalosporins, have been used. Given the importance of Ureaplasma species as a cause of intraamniotic infection, consideration needs to be given to the administration of antimicrobial agents effective against these microorganisms such as azithromycin or clarithromycin. We have used the combination of ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, and metronidazole, which has been shown to eradicate intraamniotic infection with microbiologic studies. Routine testing of neonates born to affected mothers for genital mycoplasmas could improve the detection of neonatal sepsis. Clinical chorioamnionitis is associated with decreased uterine activity, failure to progress in labor, and postpartum hemorrhage; however, clinical chorioamnionitis by itself is not an indication for cesarean delivery. Oxytocin is often administered for labor augmentation, and it is prudent to have uterotonic agents at hand to manage postpartum hemorrhage. Infants born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis near term are at risk for early-onset neonatal sepsis and for long-term disability such as cerebral palsy. A frontier is the noninvasive assessment of amniotic fluid to diagnose intraamniotic inflammation with a transcervical amniotic fluid collector and a rapid bedside test for IL-8 for patients with ruptured membranes. This approach promises to improve diagnostic accuracy and to provide a basis for antimicrobial administration.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

Address: Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Electronic address: [email protected].; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mahidol University, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Centre of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.; Pregnancy Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.002

Link outs

Free resources

Full Text Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/pmid/3823331...

Medical:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=AREA%5BRefe...

Subscription / membership required

Full Text Sources:

MeSH Terms: Female, Infant, Newborn, Pregnancy, Humans, Chorioamnionitis, Clarithromycin, Postpartum Hemorrhage, Neonatal Sepsis, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Amniotic Fluid, Inflammation, Tachycardia