Antibiograms of uropathogens in obstetric patients

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most commonly encountered infections inobstetric patients. Aim: The current study was undertaken to find the spectrum of micro-organismsresponsible for causing UTI in obstetric patients and to find out the most appropriate antibiotic.Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients in different stages of pregnancy with or withoutsymptoms of UTI attending the antenatal clinic from June 2019 to November 2020 were screenedfor significant bacteriuria. The bacterial uropathogens isolated were then subjected to antimicrobialsusceptibility testing and screened for ESBL production and methicillin resistance. Results: Duringthe 18-month study period, out of the 110 samples screened, a total of 66 (60%) samples of urinefrom pregnant females, in different stages of pregnancy were found to be positive on culture. TheEnterobacteriaceae accounted for nearly 69.69% of the isolates and E. coli alone accounted for42.42% of the urinary isolates followed by Acinetobacter 19.69%. Among the Gram-positive cocci,Enterococcus 25.75% were more frequently isolated than Staphylococcus aureus (4.54%).Significantly high resistance was noted to the beta-lactam group of antimicrobials, fluoroquinolonesand cotrimoxazole, both by the Gram-negative bacilli as well as Gram-positive cocci. Resistance wasquite low against the aminoglycosides and nitrofurantoin and virtually absent against imipenem.Conclusion: The susceptibility patterns seen in our study seem to suggest that it is necessary toobtain sensitivity reports before initiation of antibiotic therapy in cases of suspected UTI.