Bacteriuria in Pregnancy

Yunusa Thairu; Teddy E. Agida; Habiba Ibrahim Abdullahi

Yunusa Thairu Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria.
Teddy E. Agida Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria.
Habiba Ibrahim Abdullahi Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria.

Keywords: Urinary tract infection, Bacteriuria; acute cystitis, Pregnancy, preantibiotic era

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined either as a lower tract (acute cystitis) or upper tract (acute pyelonephritis) infection are common in pregnant women. In the preantibiotic era, UTI caused significant morbidity. Hippocrates, writing about a disease that appears to have been acute cystitis, said that the illness could last for a year before either resolving or worsening to causing devastating mortality such as loss of fetus as a result of complications of pregnancy. UTI may be asymptomatic (subclinical infection) or symptomatic (disease). There is active responses to symptomatic urinary tract infection with the advent of antibiotics but asymptomatic UTI is still a source for concern because of the fact that no symptom and most dangerous among pregnant women.