Maternal and neonatal consequences of treated and untreated asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study with an embedded randomised controlled trial.

Background: Existing approaches for the screening and treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy are based on trials that were done more than 30 years ago. In this study, we reassessed the consequences of treated and untreated asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy.

Methods: In this multicentre prospective cohort study with an embedded randomised controlled trial, we screened women (aged ≥18 years) at eight hospitals and five ultrasound centres in the Netherlands with a singleton pregnancy between 16 and 22 weeks' gestation for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Costs and effects of screening and treating low risk women with a singleton pregnancy for asymptomatic bacteriuria, the ASB study.

Background: The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is 2-10% and is associated with both maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes as pyelonephritis and preterm delivery. Antibiotic treatment is reported to decrease these adverse outcomes although the existing evidence is of poor quality.

Methods/design: We plan a combined screen and treat study in women with a singleton pregnancy.