Antibiogram of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolates from Urine Samples of Pregnant Women Visiting St. Vincent Hospital Ndubia for Ante-Natal Care

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common clinical episodes during pregnancy, and uropathogens such as pathogenic E. coli accounts for a significant cause of UTI. Though antimicrobial resistance is an essential survival strategy of microorganisms, this natural phenomenon is also a public health challenge for all humanity. This is because of the growing cases of antimicrobial resistant bacteria from both the community and hospital environment that defy the antimicrobial onslaughts of some available antibiotics. It is therefore vital to update on the antibiogram of uropathogens from urine samples of pregnant women in order to guide therapy. In this study, the clean-catch mid-stream urine (MSU) samples from pregnant women in a private hospital were bacteriologically analyzed for the isolation, characterization and antibiogram of uropathogenic E. coli. Antimicrobial susceptibility studies were carried out using the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method as per the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines. A total of 41 (34.2%) E. coli was isolated from the urine samples analyzed in this study. The isolated E. coli was resistant to amoxicillin, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim, ceftazidime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, aztreonam and nalidixic acid; and they were found to be multiply resistant to the tested antibiotics. Conclusively, the proper and timely detection of drug resistant bacteria from urine samples of pregnant women is necessary to guide therapy and also to prevent the emergence and spread of drug resistant bacteria in the hospital environment.