Title: Mycoplasma hominis and postpartum febrile complications.

POPLINE Document Number: 018214

Author(s):

Harwick HJ
Purcell RH
Iuppa JB
Fekety FR

Source citation:

Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1971 May;37(5):765-8.

Abstract:

Patients delivering on the residents' service at Johns Hopkins Hospital between February 1, 1967 and May 15, 1967 who had oral temperature elevations greater than 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit or rectal temperatures greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit between the completion of the 3rd stage of labor and discharge from the hospital were assessed for large colony mycoplasmas. A patient having entirely uncomplicated labor and delivery on the same day with uneventful postpartum hospitalization was selected as a control for each febrile patient, and 25 late 3rd trimster prepartum patients formed another control groups. Cervical cultures, blood cultures, and an acute-phase serum specimen were collected for each patient. Including all febrile patients, the overall rate of postpartum fever was 7%. After patients with other causes of postpartum fever were excluded, 37 patients with postpartum fever, 37 with uncomplicated deliveries, and 25 3rd trimester prepartum patients remained in the group. The postpartum groups were comparable in age, race, parity, and marital status. Mycoplasma hominis was recovered from the genital tract of 12 of 37 febrile patients, 4 of 37 postpartum controls, and 4 of 25 3rd trimester prepartum patients. Frequency of antibody response was also higher in febrile patients. M. hominis was recovered in 2 blood cultures from 1 febrile patient. No other patient had a positive blood culture. Results of serologic testing and evaluation of cultures in 16 patients and 16 controls demonstrated a significant association between M. hominis and postpartum fever. A significantly greater number of febrile patients had undergone cesarean section, but neither cesarean delivery nor prematurely ruptured amniotic membranes was associated with increased isolation of M. hominis.

Keywords:

Postpartum Women
Infections
Childbirth
Pregnancy, Third Trimester
Comparative Studies
Body Temperature
Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses
Examinations and Diagnoses
Antibodies
Puerperium
Reproduction
Diseases
Pregnancy Outcomes
Pregnancy
Studies
Research Methodology
Physiology
Biology
Immunologic Factors
Immunity
Immune System