Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Urinary Tract Infection Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Maternity Clinic in Dambam, Bauchi State

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTI) constitute the most common morbidity during pregnancy resulting in severe complications and fatality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of urinary tract infection among pregnant women attending Antenatal Care Clinic (ANC), at Dambam, Bauchi State. A total of 290 pregnant women aged 15 – 40 years (Mean age, 23.4 SD± 2.1 years) were screened for bacteriuria using standard microbiological method. Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of the bacterial isolates was determined by Modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Questionnaires were used to obtain information on biodata and socio-demographic characteristics of the study population. The prevalence of urinary tract infection among pregnant women screened was 17.24% (n = 50). Pseudomonas aeruginosa constitutes the most prevalent organism, 15 (5.17%) cultured, followed by Klebsiella spp 12, (4.14%) while Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Enterococcus spp constitute the least isolates (1.38%) each. The study revealed a significant association (P_ < 0.05, P = 0.000) between the frequency of bacterial isolates and marital status while other demographic characteristics such as educational status, age and occupation of the subjects did not indicate any significant relationship. Majority of the bacterial isolates were resistant to Cefalexin, Levofloxacin, and Clindamycin but were however, sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriaxone and Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Considering the significant bacterial isolates from pregnant women investigated expressing some resistance against commonly used antibiotics, hence there is need for educational campaign to enlighten women about UTIs during pregnancy and useful prevention/control measures to checkmate associated complications and fatality. Keywords: Antenatal Care, Bacteriuria, Infection, Pregnant Women, Prevalence, Urinary Tract Infection.