Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy at a tertiary care centre.

Abstract

Introduction: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is the presence of significant bacterial counts (more than 105 colony-forming units) in urine, in the absence of any urinary symptoms. The condition may not require any active treatment in normal individuals. However, in pregnant patients, it is of undue significance since it adversely affects the pregnancy outcomes. Hence asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy becomes significant. This study was done in order to review the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and factors
associated with ASB occurring in pregnant mothers, being treated at a tertiary care hospital. Material and methods: A total of 450 patients were evaluated and 440 patients were included in the present prospective study. None of the patients had any symptoms of urinary tract infection. The method of urine sample collection was clean catch mid-stream urine into a sterile container. All the samples were examined in the laboratory by microscopy and culture and sensitivity. The bacteria isolated were studied and the species were
identified by standard microbiological methods.

Results: A total of 440 patients were included in the study, out of which 61 (13.8 %) patients tested positive for ASB. The most common isolates were E. coli (42) followed by Klebsiella (10), enterococcus faecalis, taphylococcus aureus, and proteus mirabilis. The majority of cases belonged to 21-30 years of age group.

Conclusion: Asymptomatic bacteriuria when detected in pregnancy carries a high risk of obstetric complications. Hence routine urine culture tests should be performed in all antenatalwomen. All the patients who had urine culture positivity should be promptly treated with appropriate antibiotics. Routine USG should be done to rule out anatomical variations of the urinary tract.