ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infections "UTIs" are one of the frequently encountered problems facing the family physician. UTIs during pregnancy are among the commonest health problems worldwide, especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Gram negative bacteria in the urine of pregnant women attending antenna! clinic. A total of 200 clean midstream urine samples were collected from 200 pregnant women between the ages of 15 to 40 years attending Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia State. The urine samples were obtained by informed consent of the pregnant women used for this study and the permission to that effect was obtained from the ethical committee of Federal Medical Center, Umuahia. The samples were labeled and transported to the laboratory in iced pack and will be analyzed within 30 mm to 1 hour of collection. Susceptibility testing panels of the following antibiotics: Gentamycin, tetracycline amikacin, ampicillin, erythromycin, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, cotrirnaxasole and cefaloxine were tested against the isolated organisms using disc diffusion method. The bacteriologic agents of UTI isolated from the patients showed that Escherichia co/i was the most frequently isolated organism (61.8%) and it is followed by Kiebsiella sp (28%), Proteus mirabilis (6.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.50%). The distribution of UTI among the ages of the antenatal patients showed that age group within the range of 27-3 2 years recorded the highest incidence of UTI, whereas those of them above 39 years showed the least incidence. Ciprofloxacin, Gentamycin and Erythromycin were the most active antibiotics, while the isolates were highly resistant to cotrimoxasole, cefaloxine and nalidixic acid. Urinary tract infection is a major health problem among pregnant women. Urinalysis with culture and sensitivity test is the major diagnostic measure, while health education with regular antenatal and personal hygiene is recommended as precautionary measures to UTI.