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Amniotic fluid (AF) was collected via a transcervical, intrauterine catheter from 52 patients with clinical intra-amniotic infection (IAI) and from 52 matched, uninfected controls. The AF was cultured for Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum as well as for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Eighteen (35%) patients with IAI and four (8%) controls had M. hominis in AF (P less than 0.001). Twenty-six (50%) patients with IAI and 26 (50%) control patients had U. urealyticum in AF (difference not significant). In the AF specimens of patients with IAI, 15 (83%) of the 18 with M. hominis also contained greater than or equal to 10(2) colony-forming units (cfu) of a high-virulence bacterial isolate/ml (P less than 0.05). Within the limitations of the experimental design, U. urealyticum in AF is not associated with clinical IAI, whereas, with qualitative cultures, M. hominis in AF is. However, in IAI, M. hominis is isolated most commonly from the AF of patients with greater than or equal to 10(2) cfu of a high-virulence bacterial isolate/ml.

Amniotic fluid was collected via a transcervical intrauterine catheter from patients with clinical evidence of intrauterine infection and from uninfected comparison patients. The amniotic fluid was cultured for Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum, as well as for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Two series of patients are reported. In the first, there were 52 patients with intraamniotic infection and 52 matched controls. Eighteen patients (35%) with intraamniotic infection and four control patients (8%) had M. hominis in the amniotic fluid (P less than .001). Twenty-six patients (50%) with intraamniotic infection and 26 control patients (50%) had U. urealyticum in the amniotic fluid. In the second series, samples were collected consecutively. M. hominis was isolated from 32% (19/60) of specimens from patients with signs of infection and from 14% (8/56) of afebrile comparison patients (P less than .02). U. urealyticum was recovered from 43% and 39% of these fluids, respectively; the difference was not significant. When M. hominis was found in amniotic fluids of patients with signs of infection, the amniotic fluid usually contained greater than or equal to 10(2) cfu of a high virulent bacterial isolate per milliliter. Qualitative cultures showed that M. hominis in the amniotic fluid is associated with clinical intrauterine infection.