Fig. 6: Higher UP levels in gestational in the presence of cervical damage.

In the afternoon of D16 of gestation, mice received either 10% N-9 in PBS or PBS control via intravaginal inoculation. After 16 h, in the morning of D17 of gestation, mice received either Ureaplasma parvum (UP) in ureaplasma-selective medium (USM) or USM control via intravaginal inoculation. After 48 h, in the morning of D19, gestational tissues were analysed for ureC mRNA expression. In mice pre-treated with N-9 (n = 7), there was a significant increase in ureC copy number at the proximal sites of the placenta and the foetal membranes compared to pre-treatment with PBS (n = 6) and a trend increase in all other tissues and sites (a–d). No ureC copies were detected in uninfected mice. Each dot in the dot plots represents the average of left and right horn for each mouse at either site. Error bars indicate SD. Statistical significance was assessed using unpaired t test for PBS + UP vs. N-9 + UP in all four tissues and at both sites (*P = 0.048 for N-9 + UP vs. PBS + UP at the foetal membranes’ proximal site, **P = 0.0093 for N-9 + UP vs. PBS + UP at the placental proximal site). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.