Unmet need of antenatal screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria: A risk factor for adverse outcomes of pregnancy

• Published in: Indian journal of community medicine 2019-07, Vol.44 (3), p.193-198
• Main Authors: Gehani, Manish, Kapur, Suman, Bhardwaj, Pankaj, Nag, Vijayalakshmi, Balasubramaniam, Sudharsanam, Kammili, Nagamani, Madhuri, Sudha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Age; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Automation; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Biotechnology industry; Birth weight; Complications and side effects; Diagnosis; Gram-positive bacteria; Health aspects; Health screening; Infection; Medical diagnosis; Medical tests; Methods; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; Pregnant women; Review; Risk factors; Studies; Task forces; Urinalysis; Urinary tract infections; Urine; Urogenital system; Womens health
• ISSN: 0970-0218; 1998-3581
• DOI: 10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_355_18

Recommended urine culture is unsuitable for screening pregnant women for asymptomatic bacteriuria due to long turn-around time, unaffordability, and user-unfriendliness. The objective of this review was to evaluate the suitability of various tests for this purpose. A PubMed-based systematic review of published articles irrespective of year and language was done. Search terms included asymptomatic bacteriuria, screening test, urinary tract infection, and diagnostic test. Diagnostic accuracy studies conducted on human populations comparing tests with urine culture were included. One author extracted predefined data fields, including quality indicators, another validated it. Of 78 records, 25 studies describing 15 tests were included. All tests were rapid, seven were valid and two of them were affordable and easy-to-use. No test provided comprehensive identification with antibiotic susceptibility. Despite publication bias, no test was found suitable for screening asymptomatic bacteriuria antenatally and providing evidence-based prescription. Further research is needed to develop tests which suit this purpose.