PREVALENCE AND AETIOLOGIC AGENTS OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION IN PREGNANCY IN ABAKALIKI METROPOLIS

Urinary tract infections are common in pregnancy and are associated with complications such as abortion, prematurity, low birth weight, stillbirth, maternal anemia, preterm labour, hypertension, thrombosis, phlebitis, pre-eclampsia, chronic pyelonephritis, and rarely, kidney failure. A total of two hundred (200) urine samples were randomly collected from pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital and Mile 4 Hospital, both in Abakaliki Metropolis to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infections in pregnancy, aetiologic agents and assess some predisposing factors.

Using > 10⁵ colony forming unit per milliliter as significant level of bacteriuria, the prevalence was found to be 48. 0%. There was no significant difference between age and rate of infection (P> 0.05). There was a high incidence in 21 – 25 age group (41.7%). There was also high incidence of infection in the third trimester (82.3%) while the second trimester was (17.7%). Multiparty is associated with increased urinary tract infection in pregnancy. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen (44.8%), followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (15.2%), Escherichia coli (10.5%), Enterococus faecalis (9.5%), Coagulase – Negative Staphylococci (8.6%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.7%), Streptococcus pyogenes and Candida spp. (1.9%) each, and Proteus mirabilis (0.9%). These findings underscore the importance of screening all pregnant women for significant bacteriuria so that positive cases should be treated subsequently with antibiotics in order to reduce the adverse effects on both maternal and fetal health.