Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Semienawi Asmara Health Center

Aim: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) among asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women attending antenatal care follow-up at Semienawi Asmara Health Center (SAHC).
Study Design: This was a cross-sectional and quantitative study to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with ASB among 200 pregnant women who were attending antenatal follow up in SAHC. A written consent form was obtained from the participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the study subjects on socio-demographics and possible risk factors.
Place and Duration of Study: The current study was carried out in SAHC, Eritrea, during the period of March to June, 2013.
Methodology: A total of 200 subjects were recruited for the study according to their sequence of arrival at the health center. Clean catch midstream urine was collected from each pregnant woman into a sterile container. The urine samples were examined using chemical, microscopical, and culture methods.
Results: A total of 19(9.5%) samples were positive for culture tests. 12 out of the 19 subjects were symptomatic and the rest 7 were asymptomatic. A patient who has no signs of infection on urinalysis, no symptoms of infection, but a positive urine culture, the patient by definition has asymptomatic bacteriuria. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of ASB among asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women. Generally there was a significant association between risk factors such as parity, inadequate washing of the genitalia, a blood relative with Urinary tract infection (UTI), signs and symptoms, previous UTI and gestational age, and the presence of the UTI ( P-value of <0.05). However, age, treatment, pre-existing medical conditions, delay in urination, usage of contraceptives, and level of education were not significantly associated with the presence of the UTI (P>0.05). Escherichia coli was found to be the most predominant microorganism followed by microbes of streptococcus group D.
Conclusion: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is not uncommon among pregnant women attending antenatal care in the population studied. Routine urine culture tests should be carried out on all pregnant women in order to identify any infection.