Prevalence, bacterial etiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of urinary tract infections among pregnant women in rural West Amhara, Ethiopia

This study among 604 pregnant women in rural Amhara, Ethiopia, found a 3.5% prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTIs), with over half of the cases being asymptomatic. The main pathogens were Escherichia coli (57%), Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis. Alarmingly, resistance to common antibiotics such as ampicillin (67%) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (40%) was high, while most isolates remained susceptible to nitrofurantoin, cotrimoxazole, and cefpodoxime. Women older than 20 years had a lower risk of UTI. The study also found that simple dipstick tests were not sensitive enough for reliable detection. These findings highlight the urgent need for better diagnostic tools and effective, affordable treatments for UTIs in pregnancy to improve maternal and newborn health in low-resource settings.