DETERMINATION OF LACTOFERRINE LEVEL AS A MARKER OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INTRAUTERINE INFECTION

The development of congenital infections is associated with intrauterine infection of the fetus (ante- or intranatal). In this case, in the vast majority of cases, the source of infection for the fetus is the mother. The range of clinical manifestations of intrauter-ine infections is quite wide. Teratogenic effects on the fetus or embryo, such as various malformations, persis-tent congenital structural defects, residual effects or pro-longed pathological process are some of the main prob-lems caused by infection of the fetus in utero. It has been studied that TORCH infections, depending on the period of intrauterine aggression, can affect different organs and systems, but most often the nervous system. Intrauterine infection of the fetus depends on the type and virulence of the pathogen, the intensity of contamination, the stage of the disease, ways of penetration of the infection into the fetal body, immunoreactivity of the body, gestational age in infection. It is rather difficult to diagnose and treat intrauterine infection. This is due to the following reasons: polyetiology, difficulties in antenatal diagnosis, multifactorial specific and nonspecific influence of the infectious agents on the fetus. 130 patients at risk of intrauterine infection were included in the study, 35 of them had mixed forms of viral infections, 35 pregnant women were diagnosed with mixed forms of bacterial infection, and 35 women had mixed viral and bacterial infections. Infectious screening at the pre-gestational stage and in the dynamics of preg-nancy allowed to identify a combination of three or more urogenital infections of mixed origin in 8 (51.42±8.28) % of women of group I, in 16 (28.57±7.85) % of women of group II, and in 5 (54.28±9.60) % of women of group III. It has been established that combined forms of infection in the mother adversely affect the fetus and the baby's condition. According to the results of our clinical studies, patients with various forms of infection are at high risk for obstetric and perinatal complications, and the proba-bility of manifestation and damage to the fetus depends on the term of infection and a combination of leading infectious factors. In the course of the study, based on an integrated approach, the impact of mixed forms of viral and bacterial infection on pregnancy and perinatal consequences was assessed, i.e. the main risk factors for intrauterine infection were identified. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional protein involved in inflammatory and pathological processes in general. The non-exhaustive list of lactoferrin characteristics includes antibacterial and antiviral properties, due to the ability to bind metal ions, as well as anticancer and antioxidant activity, regulation of cell growth and differentiation, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and it refers to non-specific protective factors. The concentration of lactofer-rin in human blood often varies in different diseases, so its definition has recently become quite widespread in laboratory diagnosis. The changes in the immune status of pregnant women at risk for intrauterine infection were studied. It was proved that the depression of local immune defense mechanisms in the cervical mucosa plays a leading role in the development of the ascending pathway of infec-tion. It was proposed to consider the acute phase serum protein lactoferrin as a marker of the activity of immunopathological process with inflammatory realization.