It is generally accepted that periodontal disease is not a desirable condition in pregnancy and can result in premature babies, but for the first time researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland have provided conclusive proof for the same.
Their report, titles, "Transmission of an Uncultivated Bergeyella Strain from the Oral Cavity to the Amniotic Fluid in a Case of Preterm Birth" is published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology online article. Yiping Han, the lead researcher and a Case microbiologist in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Case School of Dental Medicine has been working on this study for the past three years. It was found that a 37-year-old lady who gave birth to a 24-week baby had oral bacteria in her amniotic fluid. The Bergeyella bacteria was found in the amniotic fluid using new DNA finger-printing techniques. The mother did not have periodontal disease. "If periodontal disease is not present, then this raises more questions about how the bacteria got into the amniotic fluid," said Han. Akihiko Ikegami, Nabil Bissada and Raymond Redline from Case and Graham Ashmead and Melissa Herbst from the Department of Obstetrics at Case School of Medicine and MetroHealth Medical Center assisted Han in this investigation.Contact:
Susan Griffith
[email protected]
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University
Source: Eurekalert
