Amniotic fluid infection syndrome.

Inflammatory changes in the extraplacental fetal membranes and subchorionic plate of the placenta are a common cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity in certain communities if associated with fetal pneumonia, and may also interfere with long-term psychomotor development. This latter complication is particularly likely to occur if there has been a moderate degree of hyperbilirubinaemia in the neonate. The pathway of infection is by ascent through the cervical os and the organisms involved are usually bacteria.