BRIEF COMMUNICATION Bacterial vaginosis in preterm labor S. Kumar a , V. Suri a, * , M. Sharma b a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, PGIMER 1 Chandigarh, India b Department of Microbiology, PGIMER, 1 Chandigarh, India Received 16 April 2006; received in revised form 16 May 2006; accepted 17 May 2006 Preterm delivery is a major contributor to neonatal morbidity and mortality. Its etiology is multifacto- rial. Several studies in developed countries have reported an association between bacterial vagino- sis in pregnancy and preterm birth. A prospective trial was conducted in the Department of Obstet- rics and Gynecology of Nehru Hospital, attached to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology, to study the incidence of bacterial vaginosis and correlation of Gardnerella vaginalis , Mobiluncus species, bacte- roids and Mycoplasma hominis in women with idiopathic preterm labor. One-hundred twenty women were recruited. Sixty women in spontaneous preterm labor with or without rupture of membranes were included in the study group, while another 60 women in spontane- ous labor at term pregnancy with or without rupture of membranes were enrolled as the control group. Pregnant women with painless or painful uterine contractions occurring at frequency of 4 in 20 min or 8 in 60 min with documented cervical changes with or without leakage per vaginum were included in the study group and their gestational age was within 28—37 weeks. The period of gestation in the control group was N 37 weeks. The vaginal discharge was subjected to pH test and amine test, and swabs were sent to the laboratory for smear, staining and culture. Table 1 shows the incidence of bacterial vagi- nosis in both the groups. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( p b 0.001). Swab cultures for bacterial vaginosis associated organisms showed growth of G. vaginalis 0020-7292/$ - see front matter D 2006 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2006.05.022 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: surivanita@yahoo.co.in (V. Suri). 1 Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. KEYWORDS Preterm labor; Bacterial vaginosis; Vaginal infection; PROM Table 1 Incidence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) Study GP Number (%) Control GP Number (%) Significance BV 24 (40) 7 (12) P b 0.001 S BV-associated microorganisms G. vaginalis 4 (7) 1 (2) P N 0.001 NS Mobiluncus spp. 0 0 — M. hominis 4 (7) 2 (3) P N 01 NS Baeterides spp. 4 (7) 1 (2) P N 0.1 NS International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2006) 95, 40—41 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijgo