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Antimicrobial activity of amniotic fluid in South Indian women
Author(s) -
MATHAI MATTHEWS,
JAIRAJ PRABHA,
THANGAVELU C. P.,
MATHAI ELIZABETH,
BALASUBRAMANIAM N.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1984.tb04803.x
Subject(s) - amniotic fluid , candida albicans , microbiology and biotechnology , radial immunodiffusion , streptococcus agalactiae , staphylococcus aureus , antimicrobial , clostridium perfringens , corpus albicans , chemistry , streptococcus , biology , antibody , pregnancy , immunology , fetus , bacteria , genetics
Summary Samples of amniotic fluid obtained from 48 South Indian women in the third trimester of pregnancy were studied for antimicrobial activity. The growth of Staphylococcus albus , Candida albicans and Clostridium perfringens was inhibited by nearly all samples studied while the growth of Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis was inhibited by 50%, 42% and 18% of samples respectively. The growth of Streptococcus faecalis was not inhibited. Using radial immunodiffusion, IgG was measurable in all 10 samples studied (mean 23 mg/dl), whereas IgA was measurable in only three of these samples (mean 1.32 mg/dl). However, while specific IgA against C . albicans was detected by indirect immunofluorescence in 93% of samples, specific IgG against C . albicans was detected in only 26% of samples ( P <0.001). Amniotic fluid obtained from parous women had greater inhibitory activity against E . coli ( P <0.05) than did the amniotic fluid obtained from nulliparae.