Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and plasmid profiling of Uropathogens cultured from HIV seropositive pregnant women and controls in Akure, south-western Nigeria

Abstract

Objective(s): Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a known bacterial infection faced by clinicians and patients in developing countries. The causative agents differ from region to region. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBLs) producing strains have spread rapidly among humans.

Design: Mid-stream urine samples were collected from HIV seropositive pregnant women and their controls. Each sample was cultured on appropriate media and subcultured to obtain pure colonies. Antibiotics sensitivity testing was conducted employing the Kirby-Bauer methods and screening for extended beta-lactam strains was done by double-disk synergy test (DDST).

Results: A total of 63 uropathogens were studied, 41% of the isolates were S.aureus, 21% E. coli, 38% Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. The data showed that 50 (79.4%) of the bacterial isolates recovered showed multi-resistance to 14 antibiotics used. Majority of the isolates were multiple antibiotics resistant with sensitivity to the aminoglycosides. The result also showed that 7.7% of S. aureus and 69.2% E. coli isolates were beta-lactamase producers. However, 75% of the ESBL isolates tested had plasmids.

Conclusion: There might be a shift in the predominance of E. coli as the predominant uropathogen as more studies including ours have shown that S. aureus was the dominant uropathogen in HIV seropositive individuals. Antibiogram did not differ between cohorts, but multiple antibiotic resistance was observed. Most of these isolates were positive to plasmid profiling.