Prevalence and Resistance Pattern of Uropathogens in Pregnant Women- A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is the most common medical problems associated with pregnancy occurring in about 5-10% of pregnant women. It is attributed by various micro- organisms. As the uropathogens is usually Multidrug resistance so, timely identification of these uropathogens and their resistance pattern detection is essential. If UTI is not treated promptly, it can lead to various complications and ultimately can affect health of infant or the pregnant mother. Aim: To estimate the frequency of UTI and different micro- organisms in pregnant women as well as their antibiotic resistant pattern among them. Materials and Methods: Present study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in rural district of Chhattisgarh. During the study period from August 2021 to October 2021, 130 urine samples were collected and processed as per standard protocol. With significant growth on culture ≥105 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/mL of single morphotype bacteria from a clean catch midstream urine sample UTI diagnosis was established. The bacteria isolated were identified up to species level by standard biochemical tests. Results: In this study, UTI was found in n=69.2% of pregnant women. The most frequently isolated organism was E. coli (53.3%), followed by Klebsiella spp.(18.9%) and Pseudomonas spp. (3.3%). Highest prevalence rate (85.7%) was observed in the age group 21 to 25 years; most of these (77.8%) were in their 2nd trimester. The isolated pathogens mostly showed multiple drug resistance to two or more antibacterial agents tested. Conclusion: There was higher incidence of UTI in pregnancy and the most predominant organism isolated was E. coli; in 2nd trimester UTI was more common and high level of multidrug resistance was observed. In pregnancy, continuous monitoring of uropathogens including their resistance pattern is required.