ABSTRACT
The study aimed at evaluating the role of IL-6 in infection induced premature rupture of membranes [PROM]. 75 pregnant women at labor were the subjects of the study. Group I, included 25 preterm PROM cases, gp II included 25 full term PROM cases and group III included 25 full term with intact membranes [controls]. Amniotic fluid was collected through caesarean section route of delivery. Bacterial culture, chlamydial LPS antigen, mycoplasma detection and IL-6 quantitation, all except mycoplasma revealed, significantly higher values among PROM cases compared to the controls. They revealed to be good diagnostic tools to assess the microbial state of amniotic fluid. IL-6 recorded a significant constant level of 1050 pg/ml among all preterm PROM cases regardless the bacterial results. We conclude that lL-6 determination could be a good predictor of infection induced PROM