Study of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women: prevalence, isolates and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is common in pregnant women due to morphological and physiological changes in the genitor-urinary tract, which untreated may lead to complications like pyelonephritis and may also effect the fetus. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of ASB in pregnant women, to identify the organisms responsible and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern.Methods: A clean catch midstream urine was collected from 250 pregnant women in different trimesters attending antenatal OPD in a tertiary care hospital. Isolates and their antibiogram were obtained by conventional methods.Results: Among 250 pregnant women, 23(9.2%) had shown significant bacteriuria, and majority (52.1%) were in 3rd trimester. Escherichia coli (56.5%) was the commonest isolate followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.4%). Most of the isolates showed sensitivity to imipenam, nitrofurantoin and cefepime.Conclusions: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common during pregnancy which requires a routine examination of urine for culture and sensitivity and the positive cases should be treated with appropriate antibiotics to prevent any further complication.