ABSTRACT
We sought to determine if pyelonephritis and preterm delivery occur more frequently
among pregnant women with polymicrobial growth from screening urine culture than among
women with negative urine culture. A retrospective cohort study was performed. Three
hundred eighty pregnant women with greater than 100,000 colony-forming units per milliliter
of polymicrobial growth from urine culture performed at less than 20 weeks of pregnancy
were compared with 375 women with negative urine culture. Admissions for pyelonephritis
were identified from discharge records. Gestational age at delivery was determined
from a research registry. Frequency of pyelonephritis and preterm delivery did not
differ between the two groups. Frequencies of pyelonephritis were 0.3% and 0% in women
with polymicrobial and negative urine culture, respectively (p = 0.32). Frequencies of preterm delivery were 16.8% and 16% (p = 0.76). Among those with repeat urine cultures, 4.6% in the polymicrobial group
and 2.4% of those in the negative initial urine culture group had a positive culture
later in the pregnancy (p = 0.21). There is no association between polymicrobial growth from screening urine
culture and pyelonephritis or preterm delivery.
KEYWORDS
Asymptomatic bacteriuria - pregnancy - preterm delivery - pyelonephritis
REFERENCES
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspsbact.htm Accessed August 24, 2009
naresha@upmc.edu
