Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a relatively serious infection in pregnant women as it puts the health of both mother and fetus at risk. UTI encompasses a wide spectrum ranging from asymptomatic bacteriuria to symptomatic cystitis to the most dreaded complication, pyelonephritis. As the frequency of UTI in pregnancy is much more as compared to non-pregnant women, early diagnosis and treatment are very essential for the well-being of both mother and fetus. Aims and Objectives: The study was aimed to assess the prevalence of UTI, establish the etiology, and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in this tribal belt of West Bengal to create awareness regarding the same. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Jhargram Government Medical College and Hospital situated in West Bengal, India, from June 2024 to August 2024. Randomly selected 250 pregnant women were enrolled in the study with their consent. Midstream clean catch urine samples from these women were processed in the laboratory by routine culture methods to know about the etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolated pathogens. Results: The prevalence of UTI among pregnant women was 21.2%. 64.1% of the isolated pathogens were Gram-negative and 35.8% of the pathogens were Gram-positive bacteria. The most common isolated pathogen was Escherichia coli (39.62%) followed by other bacteria. Majority of culture-positive pregnant women were <20 years of age. Certain parameters such as gestational age, history of UTI, and symptoms such as dysuria and fever were found to be significantly associated with UTI (P<0.05). Most of the Gram-negative and Gram-positive isolates were sensitive to doxycycline, gentamicin, and nitrofurantoin. Conclusion: Early treatment can alter the adverse pregnancy outcome associated with UTI. Thus, routine screening of all pregnant women irrespective of symptoms is important.
Endow et al. (Fri,) studied this question.