%0 Journal Article
%T The Prevalence of Urogenital Infections in Pregnant Women Experiencing Preterm and Full-Term Labor
%A Paulo C¨¦sar Giraldo
%A Edilson D. Ara¨²jo
%A Jos¨¦ Eleut¨¦rio Junior
%A Rose Luce Gomes do Amaral
%A Mauro R. L. Passos
%A Ana Katherine Gon£¿alves
%J Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/878241
%X Urogenital infections are extremely prevalent during pregnancy and are an important cause of premature labor. However, the prevalence of urogenital infections during childbirth is not well known. Objective. Identify urogenital infections present at the beginning of labor in both full-term and preterm pregnancies. Study Design. Ninety-four women were admitted to the inpatient maternity clinic of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). In total, 49 women in preterm labor and 45 women in full-term labor were included in the study, and samples of urinary, vaginal, and perianal material were collected for microbiological analysis. Results. The prevalences of general infections in the preterm labor group and the full-term labor group were 49.0% and 53.3% ( ), respectively. Urogenital infections in the preterm and full-term labor groups included urinary tract infection in 36.7% and 22.2% of women, vaginal candidiasis in 20.4% and 28.9% of women, bacterial vaginosis in 34.7% and 28.9% of women, and group B streptococcus in 6.1% and 15.6% of women, respectively. Conclusions. Urogenital infections were prevalent in women in preterm labor and full-term labor; however, significant differences between the groups were not observed. 1. Introduction Urogenital infections (UGIs) are prevalent during pregnancy and are recognized as an important cause of premature labor. However, little is known about the prevalence of UGIs during labor [1]. Normal cervicovaginal flora plays a crucial role in the defense against the growth and ascension of pathogens. Lactobacilli exercises a local defense mechanism due to its production of lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. During pregnancy, an imbalance in the vaginal flora favors the colonization of the urogenital system by microorganisms, which can complicate a pregnancy [2]. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VC), and trichomoniasis are responsible for 90% of cases of infectious vulvovaginitis, which can lead to gynecological and obstetrical complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, postabortion endometritis, chorioamnionitis, and premature labor [3, 4]. The most common infection among women in preterm labor (PTL) and preterm delivery (PTD) is BV. During pregnancy, normal vaginal microbiota, which consists primarily of lactobacilli, is substituted by anaerobic bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Mycoplasma homini, resulting in a significant reduction in lactobacilli and increased pH (greater than 4.5) [5¨C7]. Vaginal Candidiasis (VC) is an infection of the vulva and vagina that is caused
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/idog/2012/878241/