Urinary tract infection in pregnant population, which empirical antimicrobial agent should be specified in each of the three trimesters?

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate the bacterial profile and the adequacy of antimicrobial treatment in pregnant women with urinary tract infection. Material and Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted with 753 pregnant women who needed hospitalization because of UTI in each of the three trimesters. Midstream urine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were evaluated. Results: E.Coli was the most frequently isolated bacterial agent (82.2%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (11.2%). In each of the three trimesters, E.Coli remained the most frequently isolated bacterium (86%, 82.2%, 79.5%, respectively), followed by Klebsiella spp. (9%, 11.6%, 12.2%, respectively). Enterococcus spp. were isolated as a third microbial agent, with 43 patients (5.7%) in the three trimesters. The bacteria were found to be highly sensitive to fosfomycin, with 98-99% sensitivity for E.Coli and 88-89% for Klebsiella spp. and for Enterococcus spp. 93-100% nitrofurantoin sensitivity for each of the three trimesters. Conclusions: We demonstrated that E.Coli and Klebsiella spp. are the most common bacterial agents isolated from urine culture of pregnant women with UTI in each of the three trimesters. We consider fosfomycin to be the most adequate first-line treatment regimen due to high sensitivity to the drug, ease of use and safety for use in pregnancy.