Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of <i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> in Women of Childbearing Age Presenting Urinary Tract Infections from Western Romania
Constantin Catalin Marc,
Monica Susan,
Sergiu Adrian Sprintar,
Monica Licker,
Daniela Adriana Oatis,
Daniela Teodora Marti,
Razvan Susan,
Laura Corina Nicolescu,
Alin Gabriel Mihu,
Tudor Rares Olariu,
Delia Muntean
Affiliations
Constantin Catalin Marc
Department of General Medicine, Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Monica Susan
Centre for Preventive Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Sergiu Adrian Sprintar
“Aurel Ardelean” Institute of Life Sciences, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, 86 Rebreanu, 310414 Arad, Romania
Monica Licker
Multidisciplinary Research Center of Antimicrobial Resistance, Microbiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Daniela Adriana Oatis
Department of Biology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
Daniela Teodora Marti
Department of Biology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
Razvan Susan
Faculty of Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Laura Corina Nicolescu
Department of Biology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
Alin Gabriel Mihu
Department of Biology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
Tudor Rares Olariu
Discipline of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Disease, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Delia Muntean
Multidisciplinary Research Center of Antimicrobial Resistance, Microbiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common bacterial infection in women of childbearing age. Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus—GBS), a rare causative pathogen of UTIs in this population, is particularly important due to the potential risk during pregnancy, when it can lead to life-threatening neonatal infections. The current study analyzed 17,273 urine samples collected from consecutive women aged 18–45 years from Arad County, Western Romania. A total of 2772 samples tested positive for UTIs. In 130 cases, GBS was identified as the causative agent. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that women aged 25–34 years were more likely to test positive for GBS than those aged 18–24 years (cOR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.07–3.43, p = 0.03). Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed that all GBS strains were fully sensitive to penicillin, ampicillin, and vancomycin. High resistance was observed for clindamycin (77.34%) and tetracycline (88.46%). While GBS was found to be a rare pathogen in UTIs, our results underscore the importance of monitoring GBS in women of childbearing age, especially due to its risks during pregnancy, and emphasize the need for appropriate antibiotic management.
