Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common problem during pregnancy after anemia. These infections can be either asymptomatic or symptomatic. UTIs typically begin around the sixth week of pregnancy and peak between weeks 22 and 24. This increased prevalence can be attributed to several factors, including hormonal changes, glycosuria (which promotes bacterial growth due to increased sugar in urine), a short urethra, hygiene challenges due to a growing pregnant belly, increasing gestational age, parity, maternal age, frequency of sexual intercourse, comorbidities such as diabetes and sickle cell disease, a history of previous UTIs, prior catheterization, immunosuppression, tobacco use, late presentation for prenatal care, and previous use of third-generation cephalosporins.
Escherichia coli is the most common pathogen, accounting for over 90% of UTIs during pregnancy. Other, less frequent, contributing microorganisms include Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus vitulinus, Staphylococcus pulvereri, Staphylococcus xylosus, and Group B beta-hemolytic streptococcus.
The presence of biofilms can complicate treatment, as biofilm-associated infections are notably resistant to typical five to ten-day antibiotic regimens, necessitating multi-targeted or combination antibiotic approaches. Therefore, it's important to consistently monitor the prevalence of UTIs with antibacterial resistance among pregnant women and to develop interventions that address the feto-maternal complications.
This research topic aims to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infections, antimicrobial resistance, and the molecular epidemiology of uropathogenic Escherichia coli among pregnant women. This will be achieved through a collection of articles, with the goal of recommending effective interventions to tackle UTIs, antimicrobial resistance, and specifically, the molecular epidemiology of uropathogenic Escherichia coli.
The research topic seeks to address the prevalence of UTIs, causal agents, antimicrobial resistance, and molecular epidemiology of UPEC among pregnant women globally. Contributors are encouraged to provide input on these key themes.
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This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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