ERYTHROMYCIN TREATMENT FOR SUBCLINICAL UREAPLASMA-UREALYTICUM INFECTION IN PRETERM LABOR

This study was undertaken to test the effects of erythromycin as an ad junct to tocolysis for preterm labor in women with vaginal cultures po sitive for Urea-plasma urealyticum. The study group consisted of 18 wo men in active preterm labor with pregnancies between 26 and 34 weeks o f gestation and intact membranes who received 500 mg erythromycin oral ly every 8 h for 10 days. Seventeen women with similar characteristics served as controls and received no antibiotics. In all women contract ions were suppressed with ritodrine. Erythromycin treatment resulted i n a statistically significant greater mean delay of delivery (36.4 day s) than among the control group (23.2 days). Higher proportion of term pregnancies (7 versus 3 pregnancies), higher mean birth weight (2,745 versus 2,474 g), lower neonatal morbidity (22.2 versus 41.2%) and sho rter mean neonatal hospitalization time (9.6 versus 12.1 days) were ob served, although these differences were not statistically significant. Adjunctive erythromycin treatment given to women treated for preterm labor with intact membranes and positive vaginal cultures for U. ureal yticum appears to prolong gestation and to improve perinatal outcome.