Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of aerobic pathogenic bacteria causing vaginitis: A cross-sectional study among pregnant Women in Iraq

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, bacterial etiology, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of aerobic vaginitis among pregnant women in Iraq. Associations between bacterial distribution, Aerobic vaginitis severity, gestational age, and maternal age were also examined.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 216 vaginal swabs collected from Iraqi pregnant women, utilizing wet mount and Gram stain methods to assess the AV scores based on Donder’s criteria. Standard microbiological culture techniques were employed to identify the isolates responsible for AV in the vaginal swabs. Automated Vitek-2 system techniques were utilized to evaluate the resistance profiles and MIC values of the causative agents of AV.Results: 19% of pregnant women reported AV scores ≥3, including light (2.8%), moderate (7%), and severe (9.2%) values. Prevalence of AV severity was highest in the 16-25 age group (46.3%). The third-trimester pregnant women had a higher AV rate (48.8%). Pregnancy vaginal swabs yielded 46 bacterial pathogens. Severe AV was most often caused by E. coli (15 cases; 32.6%), notably in women aged 16–25 and in the second and third trimesters. S. aureus was second (10 cases; 21.7%) and dispersed throughout all AV severities, with a slight lead in moderate AV and the third trimester. Antibiogram patterns showed Gram-negative bacteria isolates were resistant to cefoxitin, cefotaxime, and levofloxacin while Gram-positive bacteria were resistant to tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.Conclusion: The findings from our study may help clinicians in selecting the drugs and advocating prophylaxis for AV infection caused by the microorganism studied.