The Preterm Prediction Study: Cervical lactoferrin concentration, other markers of lower genital tract infection, and preterm birth

Preterm birth remains the most important obstetric predictor of infant mortality and long-term morbidity.1 Much of the mortality, morbidity, and associated cost is concentrated among preterm infants born late in the second trimester. In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that a substantial portion of these early preterm births occur in the presence of subclinical chorioamnionitis caused by microorganisms such as Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma species, Bacteroides species, Gardnerella species, and other organisms commonly found in the From the the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the following institutions, except as otherwise noted—University of Alabama at Birmingham,a the Division of Geographic Medicine, University of Virginia,b the University of Tennessee,c Ohio State University,d Wake Forest University,e the University of Chicago,f The Biostatistics Center, George Washington University,g the Medical University of South Carolina,h the University of Pittsburgh’s Magee Women’s Center,i the University of Oklahoma,j Wayne State University,k the University of Cincinnati,l and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.m A list of participants in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and their institutional affiliations appears at the end of the article. Supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grants HD21410, HD21414, HD21434, HD27860, HD27861, HD27869, The Preterm Prediction Study: Cervical lactoferrin concentration, other markers of lower genital tract infection, and preterm birth