Urinary tract infection amongst pregnant women in Amassoma, Southern Nigeria

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most frequently seen medical complications in pregnancy. UTI in pregnancy poses risk of complications such as premature birth, low birth weight, still birth and pyelonephritis. A prospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Amassoma and to identify the bacteria involved. A total of 138 urine samples were analyzed and cultured by the standard loop technique on cystein lactose electrolyte deficient (CLED) medium, MacConkey and blood agar. A prevalence rate of 25.3% was observed in this study and the relationship between age and bacteriuria was non-significant (P>0.05), which signifies that bacteriuria is independent on age, while the relationship between bacteuria and trimester was statistically significant as P<0.05. Escherichia coli (40%) was the most common bacteria isolated followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.9%). Screening of pregnant women for bacteriuria during every antenatal visit should be considered an essential care in the community to avoid complications in pregnancy at an early stage. Key words: Complication, pregnancy, prevalence, screening, UTI.