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Suff N, Karda R, Diaz JA, Ng J, Baruteau J, Perocheau D, Tangney M, Taylor PW, Peebles D, Buckley SMK, Waddington SN. Ascending Vaginal Infection Using Bioluminescent Bacteria Evokes Intrauterine Inflammation, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Brain Injury in Pregnant Mice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2018; 188:2164-2176. [PMID: 30036519 PMCID: PMC6168615 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2018.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Preterm birth is a serious global health problem and the leading cause of infant death before 5 years of age. At least 40% of cases are associated with infection. The most common way for pathogens to access the uterine cavity is by ascending from the vagina. Bioluminescent pathogens have revolutionized the understanding of infectious diseases. We hypothesized that bioluminescent Escherichia coli can be used to track and monitor ascending vaginal infections. Two bioluminescent strains were studied: E. coli K12 MG1655-lux, a nonpathogenic laboratory strain, and E. coli K1 A192PP-lux2, a pathogenic strain capable of causing neonatal meningitis and sepsis in neonatal rats. On embryonic day 16, mice received intravaginal E. coli K12, E. coli K1, or phosphate-buffered saline followed by whole-body bioluminescent imaging. In both cases, intravaginal delivery of E. coli K12 or E. coli K1 led to bacterial ascension into the uterine cavity, but only E. coli K1 induced preterm parturition. Intravaginal administration of E. coli K1 significantly reduced the proportion of pups born alive compared with E. coli K12 and phosphate-buffered saline controls. However, in both groups of viable pups born after bacterial inoculation, there was evidence of comparable brain inflammation by postnatal day 6. This study ascribes specific mechanisms by which exposure to intrauterine bacteria leads to premature delivery and neurologic inflammation in neonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Suff
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Preterm Birth Group, Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajvinder Karda
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Juan A Diaz
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Ng
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Julien Baruteau
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dany Perocheau
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Tangney
- SynBio Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Peter W Taylor
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Donald Peebles
- Preterm Birth Group, Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne M K Buckley
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Simon N Waddington
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, University College London, London, United Kingdom; MRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Varrey A, Romero R, Panaitescu B, Miller D, Chaiworapongsa T, Patwardhan M, Faro J, Pacora P, Hassan SS, Hsu CD, Gomez-Lopez N. Human β-defensin-1: A natural antimicrobial peptide present in amniotic fluid that is increased in spontaneous preterm labor with intra-amniotic infection. Am J Reprod Immunol 2018; 80:e13031. [PMID: 30101464 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM Human β-defensins (HBDs) are antimicrobial peptides that participate in the soluble innate immune mechanisms against infection. Herein, we determined whether HBD-1 was present in amniotic fluid during normal pregnancy and whether its concentrations change with intra-amniotic inflammation and/or infection. METHOD OF STUDY Amniotic fluid was collected from 219 women in the following groups: (a) midtrimester who delivered at term (n = 35); (b) term with (n = 33) or without (n = 17) labor; (c) preterm labor with intact membranes who delivered at term (n = 29) or who delivered preterm with (n = 19) and without (n = 29) intra-amniotic inflammation and infection or with intra-amniotic inflammation but without infection (n = 21); and (d) preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (pPROM) with (n = 19) and without (n = 17) intra-amniotic inflammation/infection. Amniotic fluid HBD-1 concentrations were determined using a sensitive and specific ELISA kit. RESULTS (a) HBD-1 was detectable in all amniotic fluid samples; (b) amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 were changed with gestational age (midtrimester vs term no labor), being higher in midtrimester; (c) amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 were similar between women with and without spontaneous labor at term; (d) among patients with spontaneous preterm labor, amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 in women with intra-amniotic inflammation/infection and in those with intra-amniotic inflammation without infection were greater than in women without intra-amniotic inflammation or infection who delivered preterm or at term; and (e) the presence of intra-amniotic inflammation and infection in patients with pPROM did not change amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1. CONCLUSION HBD-1 is a physiological constituent of amniotic fluid that is increased in midtrimester during normal pregnancy and in the presence of culturable microorganisms in the amniotic cavity. These findings provide insight into the soluble host defense mechanisms against intra-amniotic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneesha Varrey
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Roberto Romero
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Bogdan Panaitescu
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Derek Miller
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Manasi Patwardhan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Jonathan Faro
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Percy Pacora
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Sonia S Hassan
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Chaur-Dong Hsu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Nardhy Gomez-Lopez
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
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