Work

Reply to Keelan and Payne: Microbiota-related pathways for preterm birth

Year: 2015

Type: letter

Abstract: We thank Keelan and Payne (1) for their interest in our work (2). Their letter emphasizes intrauterine infection as a potential mechanistic link between the vaginal microbiota and preterm birth. Although we share their view of ascending infection as a possible mechanism, we don’t consider it to be the only possible one. For this and other reasons we discuss below, we are hesitant to adopt the view—which we believe would risk introducing investigator biases—that documented intra-amniotic infection is a necessary accompanying condition for establishing a role of the microbiota in preterm birth.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1517939112

Authors: Daniel B. DiGiulio, David K. Stevenson, Gary Shaw, Deirdre J. Lyell, David A. Relman

Institutions: VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Preterm Birth and Chorioamnionitis

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: March of Dimes Foundation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences