Comparison of screening tests of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Solapur

Asymptomatic bacteriuria leading to urinary tract infection is the most frequently encountered condition in pregnancy, which has been associated with an increased risk of pre-term delivery and low birth weight.

Clinically the diagnosis of UTI can be difficult as symptoms are non-specific. Gold standard method for diagnosis of UTI is urine culture. Up to 18 hours are required for bacterial growth on culture media by standard laboratory techniques, which leads to delay in the treatment.

In the present study 100 midstream urine samples from asymptomatic pregnant women were collected. Gram staining, Griess Nitrite Test, Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride test (TTC), Catalase test, these four screening tests were performed on the samples and their results were compared with the results of urine culture.

Among these 100 samples, the study revealed that 14 pregnant women had significant bacteriuria (1, 00, 000 or more bacteria/ml of urine) giving a prevalence of 14%.

This study showed that Gram staining has highest sensitivity i.e. 92.85% and TTC has highest specificity i.e. 98.83% for the detection of significant bacteriuria. To conclude if we perform these two tests in combination then we get a sensitivity of 98.97% and specificity of 94.22% which is not 100% but very close to it. Use of these screening tests will help in early diagnosis and initiation of treatment of UTI in pregnant women.