A recent study has identified biomarkers in amniotic fluid that could help lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of womb infections often to blame for premature births.
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Researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, found that biomarkers for infection can be detected in a very short amount of time, within only 12 hours of infection. The outcome of this finding is that a simple test may be developed to detect the presence of these biomarkers; thereby signalling that the pregnant woman has an infection that needs treatment. The testing would be non-invasive and not require insertion of a needle to extract amniotic fluid, as in the genetic testing commonly known as amniocentesis.
June 2004
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