OUND: Intraamniotic infections negatively affect the mortality and morbidity in parturients and newborns. The prognosis of the disease is associated with a timely diagnosis of these conditions. One of approaches to providing timely information on the risk of the initiation of intra-amniotic infection and early-onset neonatal sepsis is the examination of cytokine levels. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the work was to evaluate the importance of the cytokines, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha, and the adhesive molecule, sICAM-1, as risk factors for early-onset neonatal sepsis and intra-amniotic infections. METHODS: In a group of 152 women we sampled the blood from the umbilical cord vein immediately after delivery for the determination of the cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha, and the adhesive molecule, sICAM-1, in newborns. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity results are as follows, respectively: IL-6, 0.800 and 0.972; TNF-alpha, 0.364 and 0.943; IL-8, 0.875 and 0.965; and sICAM-1, 0.833 and 0.952. CONCLUSIONS: For screening purposes, it is suitable to determine levels of IL-8, IL-6, and sICAM-1. For the screening examination, one of the cytokines mentioned is sufficient, i.e., IL-8 or IL-6, or the level of the adhesive molecule, sICAM-1. It is unnecessary to combine these markers.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic