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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Sep 3.
Published in final edited form as: J Immunol. 2013 Jun 10;191(2):934–941. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1300661

Figure 8. Model of polymicrobial disease during pregnancy.

Figure 8

(A) Commensal bacteria are located in the lower reproductive tract, and during healthy pregnancy, the uterine cervix provides protection against bacteria ascending into the upper reproductive tract. If the protection provided by the uterine cervix is jeopardized, bacteria can ascend from the lower tract, to the decidua and amnion, leading to inflammation and pregnancy complications such as preterm birth. We propose a model of polymicrobial disease during pregnancy: in this model, pregnancy and the associated sex hormones increase the susceptibility of the cervix to viral infection. Viral infection then results in a decrease in the protection against ascending bacteria. The decrease in protection can then lead to intrauterine inflammation in response to bacteria and preterm birth (B).