Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999;81:F162-F167 ( November )

Role of Ureaplasma urealyticum in lung disease of prematurity

Kirsty Hannaford^a, David A Todd^b, Heather Jeffery^c, Elizabeth John^b, Karen Blyth^d, Gwendolyn L Gilbert^a

^a Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research Westmead Hospital Westmead NSW 2145 Australia, ^b Department of Neonatal Medicine, ^c Department of Neonatal Medicine Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Camperdown NSW, ^d Westmead Institutes of Health Research

Correspondence to: Dr G L Gilbert Email: lyng{at}cidm.wsahs.nsw.gov.au

Accepted 26 June 1999

AIMTo examine the role of Ureaplasma urealyticum colonisation or infection in neonatal lung disease.
METHODSEndotracheal aspirates from ventilated infants less than 28 weeks of gestation were cultured for U urealyticum and outcomes compared in infants with positive and negative cultures.
RESULTSU urealyticum was isolated from aspirates of 39 of 143 (27%) infants. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurred significantly less often in colonised, than in non-colonised infants (p=0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in singleton infants, ureaplasma colonisation was the only independent (negative) predictor of RDS (OR 0.36; p=0.02). Both gestational age (OR 0.46; p=0.006) and isolation of U urealyticum (OR 3.0; p=0.05) were independent predictors of chronic lung disease (CLD), as defined by requirement for supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks of gestational age. Multiple gestation was also a major independent predictor of RDS and CLD.
CONCLUSIONSColonisation or infection with ureaplasma apparently protects premature infants against the development of RDS (suggesting intrauterine infection). However, in singleton infants, it predisposes to development of CLD, independently of gestational age. Treatment of affected infants after birth is unlikely to significantly improve the outcome and methods are required to identify and treat the women with intrauterine ureaplasmal infection, before preterm delivery occurs.


Keywords: Ureaplasma urealyticum; hyaline membrane disease; chronic neonatal lung disease; intrauterine infection

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© 1999 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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