Chorioamnionitis is paradoxically associated with a decreased incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. In preterm lambs, intraamniotic endotoxin and interleukin 1 (IL-1) induce lung inflammation followed by lung maturation.
Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA. suhas.kallapur@cchmc.org