Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and Interleukin-8 are Increased in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Relation to Isolation of Ureaplasma Urealyticum

Background An exaggerated inflammatory response occurs in infants who subsequently develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu) is frequently isolated from cultures of tracheal secretions obtained from very low birth weight infants and is associated with an increased risk of BPD. Methods We examined the relationships between isolation of genital mycoplasmas, tracheal aspirate (TA) interleukin-8 (IL-8), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) concentrations and the development of BPD. Serial TAs were obtained prospectively from 35 very low birth weight infants, and IL-8 and MCP-1 concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Tracheal cultures for bacteria and genital mycoplasmas were performed on aspirates obtained during the first 2 days of life. Results Infants who developed BPD (n=18) were less mature (25.2±0.2 vs 27.8±0.5 weeks; P