Asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy from the perspective of public health and maternal health care: review and case report

The present mini-review attempts to analyse the incidence, microbial agents and complications of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy. Although there are regional differences in the incidence and microflora involved in ASB in different countries and geographical areas, the prevalence of ASB in pregnant women is generally high and its complications aggravate pregnancy outcomes and exacerbate maternal and foetal morbidity. This makes ASB in pregnancy particularly important from a public health perspective, suggesting that all pregnant women should be subject to routine ASB testing. Another aspect that is highlighted here is the need for general consensus guidelines for treatment of ASB in pregnancy: recommended duration of treatment, types of antibiotics suitable for use in pregnancy, adverse side effects, both maternal and foetal. Finally, this paper describes a case of ASB in a pregnant woman, with Klebsiella pneumoniae identified as the causative agent. The pregnant woman had typical ASB-associated complications combined with an atypical symptom: urinary retention in early postpartum period, which, to the best of our knowledge, is described here for the first time.