Effects of antibiotic treatment on the concentrations of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 in cervicovaginal fluid.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated to see the effect of antibiotics on interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in cervicovaginal fluid in patients with premature rupture of the membranes.

STUDY DESIGN

Cervicovaginal fluid was sampled on admission and before delivery for measurement of IL-6 and IL-8 from 31 patients with less than 35 weeks of gestation. Concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 were measured by ELISA.

RESULTS

The concentrations of IL-6 in cervicovaginal fluid in patients who were delivered because of clinical chorioamnionitis with antibiotics (n = 6) were significantly higher than in patients who were delivered because of active labor with (n = 14, p = 0.0133) and without antibiotics (n = 11, p = 0.0067). A significant change in the concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 in cervicovaginal fluid was not observed in patients with and without antibiotics who were delivered because of active labor.

CONCLUSIONS

The concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 in cervicovaginal fluid might be influenced by the presence of clinical chorioamnionitis, but not by antibiotic administration.