Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region of Ghana

Asymptomatic bacteriuria is a condition in which urine culture reveals the presence of more than 10⁵ bacteria per millilitre but without the patient showing signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). In many of the health care facilities in Ghana, routine screening for ASB among pregnant woman is not done despite overwhelming evidence clearly demonstrating its benefits in preventing UTI and the associated adverse pregnancy outcome. It is a common problem in pregnant women, which usually results in maternal and fetal complications. The majority of the participant were in the age range of 25 years to 34 years, and all the participants had basic education. Out of the 134 sterile urine samples cultured, 11 of the participants had bacteria isolated from their urine, given a prevalence of 8.2%. Escherichia coli were 63.6%, Nitrofurantoin was 81.8% sensitive to all bacteria isolated, and Cotrimoxazole was the most resistant antibiotic with 72.7%. Factors associated with ASB in Akuapem North District were toilet facility, multiple pregnancy, and any medical condition, which were statistically significant at the bivariate analysis level. After adjusting these factors with the multiple logistics regression, only multiple pregnancy was statistically significant. The study revealed an 8.2% prevalence of ASB among pregnant women with E. coli, the predominate bacteria with 63.6%. Nitrofurantoin, 81.8% sensitive, and Cotrimoxazole was the most resistant antibiotics with 72.7%. Multiple pregnancy was associated with Asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women at Akuapem North District.