Sarah J Stock, Olga Patey, Basky Thilaganathan, Scott White, Lucy L Furfaro, Matthew S Payne, Owen B Spiller, Andres Noé, Rory Watts, Sean Carter, Demelza J Ireland, Alan H Jobe, John P Newnham, Matthew W Kemp
INTRODUCTION: Several recent studies have identified a potential role for intrauterine Candida albicans in adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth. There is, however, a limited understanding of the impact of intrauterine candida infection on fetal well-being in early pregnancy. Using a sheep model of early pregnancy, the aims of this study were to determine (1) the ability of experimentally induced intrauterine C albicans to infect the fetus and (2) whether C albicans exposure in early pregnancy is associated with alterations in fetal cardiac function, as measured by spectral tissue Doppler imaging analysis of fetal cardiac function...
May 23, 2016: Reproductive Sciences