Table 1.
Summary of the cohort characteristics and methodological features of retrieved studies.
| Author, year | Country | Study design | Study population | Follow Up | Methods to detect pathogens | Number of participants | Maternal age (years) | Gravidity/parity | Other infections | Pregnancy outcome | N women adverse pg. outcomes | N women with genital infections + adverse pg. outcome | Odds ratio | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D Watson-Jones et al., 2002 | Tanzania | Retrospective cohort study | Pregnant women, indication of multiple gestation or pre-eclampsia | 5 days after birth | RPR, THPA, FTA-ABS, AMPLICOR CT/NG PCR assay | (+) 73 high titer active & 27 low titer active | 24,5 | 35% primigravidae, 14% secundigravidae, 52% multigravida | Chlamydia trachomatis n = 18, Neisseria gonorrhoeae n = 5 | Stillbirth = dead foetus of >22 GA | 21/306 = 6,86% | 18/73 | OR = 25.09 | 95% CI 7.14-88-21 |
| (-) 233 | HIV n = 11, n = 7 in high titer active group and n = 4 in seronegative group (p = 0.3) | P < 0.0001 | ||||||||||||
| LBW = birthweight <2,500 g | LBW = 41/255 = 16,08% | 18/55 | OR = 4.63 | 95% CI 2.27–9.45 | ||||||||||
| PTB = delivery at <37 GA | PTB = 18/255 = 7,06% | 11/55 | OR = 7.96 | 95% CI 2.93–21.68 | ||||||||||
| IUGR = birth weight < 2,500 g at ≥37 GA | IUGR = 23/255 = 9,02% | 7/55 | OR = 1.95 | 95% CI 0.76–5.00 | ||||||||||
| J McDermott et al., 1993 | Malawi | Retrospective cohort study | HIV-negative pregnant women with singleton pregnancy | Every 2 months at least one year after delivery | VDRL or RPR and MHA-TP | (+) 130 | Not given | Singleton pregnancy | No | Foetal loss | 130/3,015 = 4,31% | 30/125 | OR = 8.81 | 5.41–14.29 |
| (−) 2,968 | ||||||||||||||
| Stillbirth = no definition given | 99/2,984 = 3,32% | 27/122 | OR = 11.01 | 6.54–18.49 | ||||||||||
| Macerated stillbirth = no definition given | 21/2,906 = 0,72% | 8/103 | OR = 18.07 | 6.62–48.41 | ||||||||||
| Fresh stillbirth = no definition given | 30/2,915 = 1,03% | 6/101 | OR = 7.34 | 2.60–19.64 | ||||||||||
| Unknown type of stillbirth = no definition given | 48/2,933 = 1,64% | 13/108 | OR = 10.91 | 5.25–22.34 | ||||||||||
| Neonatal death = death within the first 28 days of life | 135/2,858 = 4,72% | 16/95 | OR = 4.50 | 2.43–8.23 | ||||||||||
| Early neonatal death = death within the first 7 days of life | 91/2,859 = 3,18% | 12/95 | OR = 4.91 | 2.42–9.77 | ||||||||||
| Late neonatal death = death within the days 8 and 28 of life | 44/2,767 = 1,59% | 4/83 | OR = 3.35 | 0.98–10.18 | ||||||||||
| VJ van Rensburg, HJ Odendaal, 1991 | South Africa | Cohort study | Pregnant women who had not received antibiotics in the previous 3 months | Till 28 days postpartum | Chlamydiazynme swab | (+) 20 | 25 | 3,7 | U. urealyticum, 39% | Preterm labour = not defined | 36/180 = 20% | 8/17 | OR = 4.29 | 1.52–12.07 |
| (−) 160 | M. hominis, 20% | |||||||||||||
| C. albicans, 7% | ||||||||||||||
| N. gonorrhoeae, 6% | ||||||||||||||
| group B streptococcus, 1% | ||||||||||||||
| Abrams et al., 2004 | Malawi | Cross-sectional study | All pregnant women latest phase of labour | After delivery | Hemocue AB, RPR, Serocard rapid HIV test | (+) 55 | 33.0% (186 of 572) were primigravid | HIV, Maternal malaria | PTB (<36 weeks) | 47/522 = 9% | 7/47 | OR: 9,22 | 3.2605–26.0532 | |
| (−) 514 | ||||||||||||||
| Tareke et al., 2019 | Ethiopia | Cross-sectional study | Pregnant women | Not stated | RPR and ICS as a confirmatory test | (+) 10 | 26,95 | 43,5% one pregnancy, 30,7% two pregnancy, 25,8% more than 2 | Stillbirth = dead foetus of >22 weeks GA | (95) 24,7% | 10 | OR: 1,25 | CI: 0,46–3,41 | |
| (−) 374 |
RPR, Rapid plasma regain; THPA, Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assays; FTA-ABS, indirect fluorescent antibody technique; LBW, Low birth wight; PTB, Preterm birth; IUGR, Intrauterine growth restriction; VDRL, Venereal Disease Research Laboratory; MHA-TP, Treponema pallidum micro hemagglutination assay; ICS, Immunochromatography test strips.