Prevalence and evaluation of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women

Introduction: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is defined as the isolation of bacterial strain in quantitative counts ≥105cfu/mL in the urine without the presence of any symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence and pathogen microorganisms of ASB, and the most appropriate diagnostic test in the fırst trimester of pregnancy. Methods: In this study, 312 pregnant women were included. Midstream culture by conventional methods and urinalysis were done. By considering the urine culture as the gold standard, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of bacteriuria and pyuria were calculated. Results: ASB prevalence was found at 6.7%. Specificity and sensitivity for bacteriuria were 77% and 100%. Specificity and sensitivity for pyuria was 65% and 61%. The common pathojens was E.coli (85.7%). Conclusion: Pyuria and bacteriuria may not a major determinant of the ASB but may be useful as a screening test.