International Journal of Microbiology and Application 2015; 2(6): 93-99 Published online January 10, 2016 (http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/ijma) ISSN: 2381-442X (Print); ISSN: 2381-4438 (Online) Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Urinary Pathogens Among Pregnant Women in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Ezeamaramu F. U. 1 , Omonigbehin E. A. 2 , Obi I. A. 1 , Fowora M. A. 3 , Awoderu O. B. 4 , Olamijulo J. A. 5 , Ekpokpobe P. E. 6 , Coker A. O. 1 1 Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria 2 Department of Biological Science, College of Science and Technology Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State Nigeria 3 Molecular Biology/Biotechnology Division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria 4 Microbiology Division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria 6 Department of Chemistry Education, Federal College of Education Technical, Lagos, Nigeria Email address faustyulo@gmail.com (Ezeamaramu F. U.) To cite this article Ezeamaramu F. U., Omonigbehin E. A., Obi I. A., Fowora M. A., Awoderu O. B., Olamijulo J. A., Ekpokpobe P. E., Coker A. O. Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Urinary Pathogens among Pregnant Women in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. International Journal of Microbiology and Application. Vol. 2, No. 6, 2015, pp. 93-99. Abstract This study was carried out to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern Beta Lactamase and Extended Beta Lactamase Production (ESBL) of urinary pathogens among pregnant women in Lagos University Teaching Hospital. One hundred and forty five urine specimens were cultured, antimicrobial drug susceptibility was carried out using Kirby-Bauer technique, the multiple drug resistance isolates were tested for beta lactamase and ESBL production using starch paper and double synergy techniques respectively. Two hundred and thirty three urinary pathogens were isolated, 32.1% Gram positives and 67.0% negatives. High resistant were observed in amoxicillin, ceftazidime and augmentin with 100%, 96% and 94.9% respectively. The prevalence of multiple drug resistance isolates observed was (91.8%) of which ESBL producers were (25.0%). This study shows that most of the pregnant women harbor one or more urinary pathogens that are antibiotic resistant. Thus, suggest a continuous awareness of the risk involved in Urinary tract infection in pregnancy. Keywords Double Synergy, ESBL, Resistance, Starch Paper, Susceptibility 1. Introduction Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) has become the most common hospital-acquired infection, accounting for as many as 35% of nosocomial infections, and it is the second most common cause of bacteraemia in hospitalized patients [1]. It was reported that up to 15% of women will have one episode of UTI at some time during their life. [2]. It is a common health problem among pregnant women [3] accounting for about 10% of primary care consultation. [2]. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections during pregnancy [4], due to the normal physiologic changes induced by gestation; hence, pregnant women are especially susceptible to these infections [5]. Women with asymptomatic bacteriuria during pregnancy are more likely to deliver premature or low-birth-weight infants and have a 20 to 30 fold increased risk of developing pyelonephritis during pregnancy compared with women without bacteriuria [6]. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the major aetiological agent in causing UTI, which accounts for up to 85 to 90% of cases. It originates from faecal flora colonizing the periurethral area, causing an ascending infection [7]. Other gram-negative rods such as Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are also common [8], [9]. Gram positive organisms that have been found causing UTIs are,