Bacterial profile, antibacterial susceptibility pattern and associated factors among women attending antenatal and postnatal health services at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital, northwest Ethiopia

Background: Bacterial infections are an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality especially in resource limited countries such as Ethiopia. The major bacterial infections include urinary tract infections, septicemia and endometritis. Antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens have become a growing problem worldwide and pose a serious threat to vulnerable populations, including mothers. However, studies which address the problem in the Ethiopian setting are scarce. Objective: To assess the bacterial profile, antibacterial susceptibility pattern and associated factors among mothers attending antenatal and postnatal care health services. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 222 study participants at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital from January 1 to May 31, 2016. Clinical specimens such as urine, blood and cervical discharge specimens were collected from patients and antimicrobial susceptibility tests conducted following standard procedures. Data were entered and analyzed with SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied in data analysis. Results: Out of 222 specimens collected, 57(25.7%) bacterial species were isolated. The predominant bacterial isolates from urine culture were Escherichia coli (24/47; 51.1%) and Staphylococcus aureus (16/47;34%). From blood cultures, Staphylococcus aureus (2/8; 25%), Coagulase negative staphylococci (2/8;25%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2/8;25%) and Streptococcus pyogenes 2/8(25%) were isolated. Neisseria gonorrheae (2/27;7.4%) was isolated from cervical discharge cultures. The majority of the isolates were resistant to amoxacillin and ampicillin but susceptible to ceftriaxone. Many multidrug resistant bacterial species were isolated. Being in the first trimester of pregnancy and having a history of diabetes mellitus were strongly associated with the presence of bacterial infections. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of bacterial infections was high with many being resistant to commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents. This calls for an urgent need to conduct screening of bacterial infections in both antenatal as well as postnatal women.