UCH Preterm Infection Project
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of perinatal infection on immunity and outcome at birth and in the neonatal period (Pilot study)
IRAS ID
173610
Contact name
Neil Marlow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
15/0126, R&D reference number ; 15/LO/1277, REC number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Premature birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. At present 6% of all UK births are preterm (<37 weeks gestation). Among babies born before 30 weeks of gestation mortality remains significant (rising rapidly from 23% at 29 weeks to 50% at 23 weeks) and survivors are at high risk of breathing difficulties, acquired brain injury, visual difficulties and infection, all with high degrees of association with later childhood sequelae, such as respiratory illness, cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Over the course of the years the survival of this high risk population has improved but the overall incidence of premature births and the proportion of neonatal admissions that survive with serious impairment have largely remained unchanged. Maternal infection, both clinical and subclinical has been implicated as the leading cause of premature birth.
Over the last two decades newer modalities of detection of infection causing bugs has increased our knowledge of the possible bugs that colonize the uterine cavity. There are no studies to date that have studied the impact of maternal colonisation with bugs and its impact on the colonisation of the premature baby with potentially harmful bugs and in turn its impact on the baby’s infection defence mechanism.
The aim of this study is to investigate the continuities between inflammation and infection in the intrauterine environment to neonatal infection defence mechanism and the colonisation of the baby’s body with potentially harmful bugs and also its impact on neonatal infection and subsequent neonatal morbidity.REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1277
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion