Sr. Moyo et al., STILLBIRTHS AND INTRAUTERINE INFECTION, HISTOLOGIC CHORIOAMNIONITIS AND MICROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS, International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics, 54(2), 1996, pp. 115-123
Objective: To analyze whether placental inflammation is associated wit
h stillbirth in Zimbabwe, Method: Placentas from 66 stillbirths (>22 w
eeks' gestation; patients with congenital malformations, diabetes or p
reeclampsia were excluded) and 66 term live births were studied for th
e presence and severity of chorioamnionitis. The morphological results
were compared with earlier presented microbiological findings in the
same material. Results: Chorioamnionitis was present in 79% of stillbi
rths and 30% of live births (O.R. 8.5, 95% C.I. 4.0-18). Nine percent
of stillbirths but no live births presented vasculitis of the chorioni
c plate, which verified an inflammatory response from the infant (O.R.
14, 95% C.I. 2.8-72). The same types of microorganisms were isolated
from stillbirths and liveborns, but Escherichia coli and group B strep
tococci were more frequent among stillbirths, Conclusions: Morphologic
al chorioamnionitis occurred 2.6 times more often in women with stillb
irths than in women with live births, In 9% of stillbirths the infant
showed an inflammatory response, Thus the infant was alive when the in
fection occurred and it is therefore reasonable to assume that infecti
on was the cause of death.