TLR4 and infection: The experimental infection of amniotic fluid with E. coli O55 aimed to evaluate: (i) the translocation of E. coli from the infected amniotic cavity to an adjacent one in the same uterine horn within 10 h of the experiment, (ii) the induction of HMGB1 transcription and expression on an amniotic membrane and its release into the amniotic fluid, and (iii) the induction of the HMGB1 receptors RAGE and TLR4, their transcription and expression in/on the amniotic membrane, and release into the amniotic fluid.