Bacteriological profile and antibiogram of uropathogens isolated from obstetrics and gynaecology patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common complication occurring in obstetric patients, posing adverse risks to both the mother and fetus. The aim of this study is to analyse the bacteriological profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of uropathogens in obstetrics and gynaecology ward for the effective treatment. Methods: A total of 404 urine samples from pregnant women with different gestational age were processed for the isolation of uropathogens and tested against ten classes of antibiotics. Uropathogens from significant bacteriuria cases were isolated and identified by standard procedures from January 2020 to December 2021. Antibiotic susceptibility was studied by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Significant bacteriuria in 16.3% samples, Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the most common uropathogens followed by Enterococcus sp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). E. coli showed highest resistance to ceftazidime, cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin while exhibiting high sensitivity to imipenem, meropenem, and amikacin. Moreover, major proportion of isolates of K. pneumoniae were resistant against ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and nitrofurantoin; and for Enterococcus species against penicillin and gentamycin, but 100% sensitive to vancomycin and teicoplanin, and 92.3% to linezolid. Conclusions: There is a need for screening of antenatal patients for UTI and it is recommended that pregnant women should undergo periodic screening for UTI, so as to monitor the sensitivity pattern of the uropathogens and for the development of specific antibiotic policies based on local susceptibility patterns.