Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection among Women in Arar, Saudi Arabia

Involuntary urination (IU) is recognized as a significant health problem. Urinary tract infection (UTI) can increase the risk of involuntary urination. Females are especially prone to UTIs for anatomical reasons. This study investigated the role of microbes in women suffering from UTIs and identified the causative bacteria and explored their antimicrobial resistance patterns that are of epidemiological importance regarding the spread of multi-drug resistance in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted for a period of one year from September 2020 to August 2021. A total of 1027 midstream urine samples were collected in sterile containers from pregnant women of varied gestational ages attending antenatal clinics. Each sample was divided into two parts for urine analysis and microbial culture. It was found that the most effective antibiotic for the treatment of UTIs is norfloxacin (NOR) which was found to be 100% effective against all the bacterial isolates involved in UTIs. The second most effective antibiotic was found to be ofloxacin (Of) and proven as the effective antibiotic against the bacteria. The antibiotics amikacin (AMK), nitrofurantion (NI) and ampicillin (AMP) were found to be least effective for all UTI-causing bacteria. The singly isolated fungal species Candida albicans displayed sensitivity towards fluconazole.