Antibiotic resistance properties of uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from pregnant women with history of recurrent urinary tract infections

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.