"Preterm birth (PTB), or birth before 37 weeks of gestation, occurs in about 1 in every 10 pregnancies in the United States and is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the developed world. Furthermore, surviving preterm infants are at increased risk for brain, heart, breathing, metabolic, and immune function problems, with an estimated cost of $26 billion each year. Despite the health and financial implications of PTB, 50% of cases still have no attributed cause. Recently, cervical viral infection has been identified as a risk factor for PTB. The implication of viruses, specifically herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), in pregnancy outcomes has not been well defined. Our approach was to utilize both in vivo and in vitro models to study cervical viral infection." -- Abstract.
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