Serum Inflammatory Markers [(Interleukin (Il)-6, Il-8, And Il-10)] Relative to Group B Streptococcus Colonisation in Women At Delivery

Abstract

Newborns with Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections have a significant rate of morbidity and mortality. One of the main risk factors for newborn GBS illness is maternal GBS colonisation during pregnancy. Previous investigations reported that inflammatory indicators produced by immune cells as a result of bacterial infection could also aid in identifying bacterial infections, in addition to other conventional methods. Thus, the study examined the potential utility of maternal serum interleukin (IL)-6, -8, and -10 as markers for predicting GBS colonisation at birth. The study included 136 HIV negative pregnant women who were not taking any antibiotics and had no other medical conditions. At the time of delivery, venous blood and vaginal swabs were taken. Using the culture approach, GBS was isolated from swabs. If a mother's culture was positive, she was considered GBS colonised. Maternal serum was used to analyse inflammatory markers (cytokines) using the R&D pre-mixed magnetic Luminex assay. A logarithmic transformation was used to normalise the cytokine values. Forty-seven (47) of the 136 participants had GBS colonisation. The logged concentrations of IL-6 (P=0.8), IL-8 (P=0.5) or IL-10 (P=0.9) did not differ significantly upon delivery according to colonisation status. According to our findings, maternal serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 are not accurate indicators of GBS colonisation at delivery.