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Hall B, Wong D, Healy C, Tracy MB, Tracy SK, Rawlinson WD. The presence of vaginal Lactobacillus species does not contribute to a measureable difference in amniotic fluid lactate levels collected from the vaginal tract of laboring women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2017; 96:487-495. [PMID: 28039853 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.13089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Amniotic fluid lactate research is based on the hypothesis that a relationship exists between fatigued uterine muscles and raised concentrations of the metabolite lactate, which is excreted into the amniotic fluid during labor. To assess potentially confounding effects of lactate-producing organisms on amniotic fluid lactate measurements, we aimed to determine if the presence of vaginal Lactobacillus species was associated with elevated levels of amniotic fluid lactate, measured from the vaginal tract of women in labor. MATERIAL AND METHODS Results from this study contribute to a large prospective longitudinal study of amniotic fluid lactate at a teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Amniotic fluid lactate measurement was assessed at the time of routine vaginal examination, after membranes had ruptured, using a hand-held lactate meter StatStripXPress (Nova Biomedical). Vaginal swab samples were collected at the time of the first amniotic fluid lactate measurement and stored for later detection and quantification of Lactobacillus species using a TaqMan real-time PCR assay. Swab sample and amniotic fluid lactate results were paired and analyzed. RESULTS The PCR assay detected Lactobacillus species in 48 of 388 (12%) vaginal swab specimens (8% positive, 4% low positive) collected from women in labor after membranes had ruptured. There was no significant difference in median and mean (respectively) amniotic fluid lactate levels with (8.35 mmol/L; 8.95 mmol/L) or without (8.5 mmol/L; 9.08 mmol/L) Lactobacillus species detected. CONCLUSION There was no association between the presence or level of vaginal Lactobacillus species and the measurement of amniotic fluid lactate collected from the vaginal tract of women during labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverley Hall
- Midwifery and Women's Health Research Unit, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Virology Research, Serology and Virology Division, Department of Microbiology, SEALS, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Diana Wong
- Virology Research, Serology and Virology Division, Department of Microbiology, SEALS, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Clare Healy
- Midwifery and Women's Health Research Unit, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark B Tracy
- Center for Newborn Care, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Sally K Tracy
- Midwifery and Women's Health Research Unit, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - William D Rawlinson
- Virology Research, Serology and Virology Division, Department of Microbiology, SEALS, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
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