OBJECTIVE: We determined the effects of intrauterine infection with Gardnerella vaginalis on maternal and fetal outcome in the rabbit. STUDY DESIGN: Both uterine horns of rabbits on day 20 or 21 of gestation (70% of gestation) were inoculated hysteroscopically with either 0.2 ml of 10(5) to 10(7) CFU/ml of G. vaginalis or saline solution. Animals were killed on day 4 or earlier if premature delivery occurred. The following outcome parameters were evaluated: febrile morbidity, preterm labor and delivery, maternal cultures, fetal birth weight, and fetal neuropathologic findings. RESULTS: G. vaginalis intrauterine inoculation uniformly resulted in amnionitis and deciduitis. Animals inoculated with G. vaginalis had no greater incidence of fever and preterm delivery than did saline-treated control animals. However, intrauterine infection with G. vaginalis resulted in a significant decrease in the live birth rate when compared with that of controls (80% vs 95%, p < 0.03). G. vaginalis deciduitis was associated with as 23% reduction in the birth weight of the surviving fetuses. Furthermore, animals in the G. vaginalis study group had a 60% incidence of severe brain injury compared with 0% in the saline solution group. CONCLUSION: G. vaginalis amnionitis and deciduitis produced minimal maternal morbidity but were associated with decreased birth weight and brain injury in surviving fetuses; thus it appears that G. vaginalis selectively functions as a fetal, but not maternal, pathogen in the rabbit.
OBJECTIVE: We determined the effects of intrauterine infection with Gardnerella vaginalis on maternal and fetal outcome in the rabbit. STUDY DESIGN: Both uterine horns of rabbits on day 20 or 21 of gestation (70% of gestation) were inoculated hysteroscopically with either 0.2 ml of 10(5) to 10(7) CFU/ml of G. vaginalis or saline solution. Animals were killed on day 4 or earlier if premature delivery occurred. The following outcome parameters were evaluated: febrile morbidity, preterm labor and delivery, maternal cultures, fetal birth weight, and fetal neuropathologic findings. RESULTS:G. vaginalis intrauterine inoculation uniformly resulted in amnionitis and deciduitis. Animals inoculated with G. vaginalis had no greater incidence of fever and preterm delivery than did saline-treated control animals. However, intrauterine infection with G. vaginalis resulted in a significant decrease in the live birth rate when compared with that of controls (80% vs 95%, p < 0.03). G. vaginalis deciduitis was associated with as 23% reduction in the birth weight of the surviving fetuses. Furthermore, animals in the G. vaginalis study group had a 60% incidence of severe brain injury compared with 0% in the saline solution group. CONCLUSION: G. vaginalis amnionitis and deciduitis produced minimal maternal morbidity but were associated with decreased birth weight and brain injury in surviving fetuses; thus it appears that G. vaginalis selectively functions as a fetal, but not maternal, pathogen in the rabbit.
Authors: Alan Leviton; Elizabeth N Allred; Karl C K Kuban; T Michael O'Shea; Nigel Paneth; Andrew B Onderdonk; Raina N Fichorova; Olaf Dammann Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2015-12-13 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Jennifer M Strahle; Regina L Triplett; Dimitrios Alexopoulos; Tara A Smyser; Cynthia E Rogers; David D Limbrick; Christopher D Smyser Journal: Neuroimage Clin Date: 2019-03-18 Impact factor: 4.881
Authors: Johannes van der Merwe; Lennart van der Veeken; Sebastiano Ferraris; Willy Gsell; Uwe Himmelreich; Jaan Toelen; Sebastien Ourselin; Andrew Melbourne; Tom Vercauteren; Jan Deprest Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2019-03-05 Impact factor: 4.379