Microbiology Research Journal International

Aim: To determine the prevalence of urinary tract infections among pregnant women receving antenatal care in two primary health care centres in Karu Nasarawa State.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in two primary health care centres in Karu Nasarawa State between March-August, 2015.

Methodology: A total of 150 pregnant women were enrolled for this study. Mid stream urine sample was collected from each pregnant woman, analysed and cultured on cystein lactose electrolyte deficient (CLED) medium.

Results: The results revealed that the incidence of UTI in this study population was 62.67% and 94 bacterial isolates were identified based on colonial morphology, microscopic characteristics, and biochemical tests. The most predominant bacterium was Escherichia coli (22.97%). This was followed by Klebsiella spp(18.08%), Staphylococcus spp (15.95%), Proteus spp (13.82%), Staphylococcus coagulase negative (10.63%) and Enterococcus spp (8.51%). The statistical analysis carried out in this study was Chi Square (X²). X² = 20.97, and at 0.05 degree of freedom, bacterial significance was 11.07.

Conclusion: The prevalence of urinary tract infection from this study is of significant value, therefore, screening of pregnant women for bacteriuria during antenatal visit should be a routine procedure to avoid complications in pregnancy.