Determining the Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among Antenatal Women and its Effects on Maternal and Perinatal Outcome

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among antenatal women and its impact on perinatal and maternal outcomes.300 antenatal women at Anil Neerukonda Hospital were screened for ASB in this prospective study. Urine culture was performed on blood agar and Mac Conkey's agar for antibiotic sensitivity testing using the standardised Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. ASB was found to be present in 11.33 percent of the population. Out of 34 ASB positive instances, 8 (23.5%) were born with a birth weight of less than 2500 grammes, compared to 11 (4.1%) in unexposed cases (RR 5.68, 95 percent CI; 2.46-13.15; p<0.05). When compared to unexposed cases, preterm low birth was observed in 5 (14.7 percent) cases of ASB positive pregnant women (RR 1.5, 95 percent CI; 0.61-3.65, p=0.36). In terms of maternal outcomes, preterm labour was seen in 8 (23.5%) of ASB exposed women and 22 (8.3%) of non-exposed women (RR 2.84, 95 percent CI; 1.37-5.88, p=0.004). When comparing ASB positive and ASB negative cases, a considerable number of women developed hypertension (17.6%) and preeclampsia (8.8%). (4.9 percent and 2.3 percent respectively).In this investigation, ASB was found to be prevalent in 11.33 percent of the participants. Regular and repeated trimester wise screening need to be incorporated as a routine antenatal care for an integrated approach for safe motherhood and newborn health.