TITLE:
Research on the Correlation between Amniotic Microecological Changes and Intrauterine Inflammatory Response Following Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes
AUTHORS:
Wenqi Zhou, Liping Zhu, Ke Huang, Lu Bai, Qin Yang
KEYWORDS:
Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes (PPROM), Preterm Infant, Amniotic Fluid, Microecosystem, Intrauterine Inflammation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.16 No.10,
October
9,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objective: To investigate the effect of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) on the amniotic fluid microbiome and analyze its correlation with intrauterine inflammatory responses. Methods: A total of 30 preterm infants born at Changsha Central Hospital and admitted to the Neonatal Department between January 2023 and June 2025 were enrolled, including 10 without PPROM and 20 with PPROM. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to analyze changes in the amniotic fluid microbiome. Placental and umbilical cord pathology, as well as inflammatory markers of the preterm infants, were also collected. Results: In the non-PPROM group, genes of bacteria, fungi, and viruses were detectable in the amniotic fluid, with bacteria being predominant. Cutibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus hominis were the most common bacterial species, while Lasiodiplodia, Aspergillus, and Human endogenous retrovirus K were the most frequently detected fungi and virus, respectively, although their copy numbers were low. Ureaplasma was detected in 8 cases in the PPROM group. Compared with the non-PPROM group, bacterial and fungal copy numbers were significantly higher in the PPROM group (P 0.05). Conclusion: A unique microecological environment exists in amniotic fluid. The occurrence of PPROM is associated with alterations in the composition of the amniotic fluid microbiome, which may be related to the development of intrauterine inflammatory responses.