Abstract

Asymptomatic bacteriuria, known to be associated with an increased risk of symptomatic urinary tract infection is on the increase. The prevalence differs with respect to age, gender, environment and the presence/absence of genitourinary disorder. This work investigated the burden of asymptomatic bacteriuria and antibiotics sensitivity profile of isolates from University students in Ogun State. Urine samples were collected from asymptomatic students aged 16 to 30 years, culture and antibiotic susceptibility test was done using standard procedure. Pre-tested questionnaire was administered to get vital information about the subjects. All the samples were cultured in different selective media and the plates were incubated accordingly. The isolates were characterized and identified based on the conventional microbiological techniques. Of the 122 students, seventy-two (59.01%) were females and fifty (40. 98%) were males. 54.9% of the subjects had asymptomatic bacteriuria (62.5 and 44% for females and males respectively) while 45.1% of the samples had no sign of growth. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was higher (48.9 %) in the age group 20-23 years followed by 37.2% in 16-19 years old. Escherichia coli thirty-two (33%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa thirty (31.9%) were the most common bacteria isolated. 52% of the isolates were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria is high among the students studied. University authorities need to include the assessments of bacteria in urine as part of their medical examination for students, and routine evaluation of adolescents for bacteriuria is thereby recommended.