The diagnosis of urinary tract infections among pregnant women in rural Tanzania; prevalences and correspondence between different diagnostic methods

Abstract

Background. To assess the prevalence of dysuria, dipsticks positive on nitrite and leukocyte esterase and positive Uricult A dip slides among pregnant women in rural Tanzania. Methods. 3715 pregnant women were examined for dysuria and had their urine tested with nitrite and leukocyte esterase dipsticks and Uricult A dipslides, at their first antenatal visit in 1995-96. Results. The prevalences of positive symptoms and tests were as follows: dysuria 32%, nitrite 40.3%, leukocyte esterase 65.6%, and Uricult A dip slides 16.4%. A general log-linear model where all four variables were analyzed simultaneously showed poor correspondence between the diagnostic methods. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were as follows: dysuria vs. nitrite [1.6 (1.4-1.8)], dysuria vs. leukocyte esterase [1.2 (1.0-1.4)], nitrite vs. leukocyte esterase [4.2 (3.6-4.9)], and leukocyte esterase vs. Uricult A [1.4 (1. 1-1.7)]. Dysuria and nitrite were not associated with Uricult A dipslide. Conclusion. A high prevalence of positive tests, but a poor correspondence between the methods was found, emphasizing the need for more attention to the problem of urinary tract infections among pregnant women in developing countries, and the need for better screening tests for urinary tract infections in these countries.

Bacterial profile and drug susceptibility pattern of urinary tract infection in pregnant women at University of Gondar Teaching Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

“…This is comparable to the prevalence of UTI reported in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (11.6 %) [17], but lower than study in Northern Tanzania (16.4 %) [18], Mwanza, North-western Tanzania (14.6 %) [19], and Khartoum North Hospital, Sudan (14.0 %) [20]. This variation may be explained by the fact that differences in the environment, social habits of the community, the standard of personal hygiene and education.…”

Antimicrobial resistance in urinary bacterial isolates from pregnant women in rural Tanzania: Implications for public health

“…Between mid-April 1995 and mid-March 1996, a total of 5153 pregnant women were consecutively enrolled in the study as they attended antenatal care visits through 11 outreach clinics run by Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH) and 1 stationary hospital clinic at HLH [25]. The majority of the study subjects (n 0/ 3715) were residents of 2 divisions, Dongobesh and Basotu, in Mbulu and Hanang districts, respectively, which are typical rural areas in Manyara region (previously part of Arusha region) in northern Tanzania.…”

Bacterial profile and drug susceptibility pattern of urinary tract infection in pregnant women with ureteral stones and hydronephrosis

“…In this retrospective study, we defined the bacteriuria as the the presence of bacteria in the urine of more than 10 5 cfu/ml and the overall prevalence of bacteriuria among pregnant women with ureteral stones was 26.2%. This is higher than the prevalence of symptomatic (17.9%), and asymptomatic bacteriuria (13%) was seen in pregnancy (Olsen et al, 2000). This is likely to be attributed to ureteral stones and symptomatic persistent hydronephrosis with pregnancy.…”