Histologic chorioamnionitis in extremely preterm births, microbiological findings and infant outcome.

Background: Histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) is most often caused by ascending bacterial infection originating from the cervicovaginal tract.

Objectives: To investigate whether HCA with a fetal inflammatory response (FIR) has a worse clinical outcome than HCA alone. Further, if FIR or a positive maternal microbiologic culture obtained prior to birth were related to adverse neonatal outcomes in a cohort of extremely preterm (EP) neonates.