Purpose: To investigate the antibiotic resistance pattern of uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(UPEC)
strains isolated from pregnant women with history of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) and
healthy pregnant women.
Methods: A total of 485 high vaginal swab specimens were collected from pregnant women with history
of RUTIs and healthy ones. Samples were cultured and those that were
E. coli positive were analyzed
by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and disk diffusion tests.
Results: Twenty eight out of 445 (6.29 %) samples were positive for
E. coli. Prevalence of
E. coli in
pregnant women with history of RUTIs and healthy ones were 9 and 4.08 %, respectively. Women older
than 40 years were the most commonly infected. UPEC strains showed the highest levels of resistance
against ampicillin (96.42 %), tetracycline (85.71 %), amikacin (71.42 %), ciprofloxacin (67.85 %) and
gentamycin (58.71 %).
Conclusion: RUTIs and pregnancy in old age are two important risk factors for transmission of UPEC
strains from the urinary tract into the vagina. Primary treatment of infected pregnant women with
imipenem, mezlocillin and nitrofurantoin would be effective for the prevention and management of
vaginal infections in pregnant women.
