Effect of prenatal and perinatal antibiotics on maternal health in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Aboud, Said;
Msamanga, Gernard;
Read, Jennifer S;
Wang, Lei;
Mfalila, Chelu;
Sharma, Usha;
Martinson, Francis;
Taha, Taha E;
Goldenberg, Robert L;
Fawzi, Wafaie W;
(2009)
Effect of prenatal and perinatal antibiotics on maternal health in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics, 107 (3).
pp. 202-207.
ISSN 0020-7292
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.07.037
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OBJECTIVE: We assessed the effect of prenatal and peripartum antibiotics on maternal morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected and uninfected women. METHODS: A multicenter trial was conducted at clinical sites in 4 Sub-Saharan African cities: Blantyre and Lilongwe, Malawi; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Lusaka, Zambia. A total of 1558 HIV-infected and 271 uninfected pregnant women who were eligible to receive both the prenatal and peripartum antibiotic/placebo regimens were enrolled. Pregnant women were interviewed at 20-24 weeks of gestation and a physical examination was performed. Women were randomized to receive either antibiotics or placebo. At the 26-30 week visit, participants were given antibiotics or placebo to be taken every 4 hours beginning at the onset of labor and continuing after delivery 3 times a day until a 1-week course was completed. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the antibiotic and placebo groups for medical conditions, obstetric complications, physical examination findings, puerperal sepsis, and death in either the HIV-infected or the uninfected cohort. CONCLUSION: Administration of study antibiotics during pregnancy had no effect on maternal morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women.