AUTHOR=Mohamed Fartun Yasin , Dahie Hassan Abdullahi , Mohamoud Jamal Hassan , Adam Mohamed Hussein , Dirie Hassan Mohamud 

TITLE=Prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and associated risk factors of uropathogenic Escherichia coli among pregnant women attending Dr. Sumait Hospital Mogadishu, Somalia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1203913

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1203913

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p>Uropathogenic <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> (UPEC) is a strain of <italic>E. coli</italic> commonly associated with urinary tract infections. In addition, antibiotic resistance in UPEC is one of the most significant health problems. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and factors linked to uropathogenic <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> (UPEC) in pregnant women.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>This cross-sectional study was conducted within a hospital setting between August 2022 and December 2022. Using consecutive convenient sampling, the research enrolled 220 pregnant women. The urine samples obtained from these women were cultured on MacConkey and blood agar and incubated at 37°C overnight, followed by sub-culturing on Mueller Hinton media. Bacterial identification involved Gram staining and biochemical characterization (TSI, indole, citrate, methyl red, urea agar, and motility tests). Conversely, susceptibility tests were performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. A binary logistic regression model and analysis of odds ratios (ORs) were employed to evaluate the risk factors associated with <italic>E. coli</italic> infection, and statistical significance was attributed to <italic>p</italic>-values of ≤0.05.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Out of the 220 urine samples examined, 42 (19%) exhibited a positive culture, indicating an <italic>E. coli</italic> infection in pregnant women. Our analysis revealed that income, gestational age, and history of UTIs were identified as risk factors associated with <italic>E. coli</italic> infection. Most <italic>E. coli</italic> isolates demonstrated sensitivity to amikacin (100%), nitrofurantoin (85.7%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and meropenem (83.3%).</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>The prevalence of <italic>E. coli</italic> was remarkable. It could be recommended that pregnant women in antenatal care have routine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests to prevent transmission of resistant pathogens and complications in both pregnant mothers and the unborn baby.</p></sec>