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Inflammation and infection play a major role in preterm birth. The purpose of this study was to (i) determine the prevalence and clinical significance of sterile intra‐amniotic inflammation and (ii) examine the relationship between amniotic fluid (AF) concentrations of high mobility group box‐1 (HMGB1) and the interval from amniocentesis to delivery in patients with sterile intra‐amniotic inflammation.

AF samples obtained from 135 women with preterm labor and intact membranes were analyzed using cultivation techniques as well as broad‐range PCR and mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI‐MS). Sterile intra‐amniotic inflammation was defined when patients with negative AF cultures and without evidence of microbial footprints had intra‐amniotic inflammation (AF interleukin‐6 ≥ 2.6 ng/mL).

(i) The frequency of sterile intra‐amniotic inflammation was significantly greater than that of …