Urinary Bacterial Profile and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern among Pregnant Women in Eastern Libya

Urinary tract infections, which affect approximately 20% of pregnancies globally, particularly in developing nations with high birth rates like Libya, are a public health concern that complicate pregnancy and are linked to catastrophic maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. Choosing an appropriate therapy depends on current understanding about antibiotics, which is essential for early issue detection and prevention. In this study, antenatal care clinics in several eastern Libyan cities, including "Benghazi, Almarj, Albayda, Shahat, Darna, Alquoba," participated in a cross-sectional investigation to identify the most common causes of UTIs and to ascertain the sensitivity and resistance of antibiotic patterns. From February 9 to April 15, 377 samples were gathered utilizing a standardized questionnaire to obtain data. UTI was diagnosed using mid-stream urine culture on standard culture media. Out of the 377 pregnant women who were included, E. Coli had the greatest infection rate (43.0%), followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (10.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.4%), and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (11.4%). The most effective antibiotics were found to be Augmentin (58.9%), Ciprofloxacin (52.6%), and Nitrofurantoin (51.3%), although Azithromycin and Nalidixic acid showed strong resistance to most uropathogens. Our research reveals that urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent among pregnant women in eastern Libya and that bacteria that are extremely resistant to most tested antibiotics are appearing more frequently. These results should cause doctors to reevaluate their treatment strategies in light of antibiotic susceptibility data.