Abstract:
This study investigated the occurrence rate of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) as well as concomitant bacterial infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in selected health centres in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Five hundred (500) pregnant women were engaged with informed consent for the purpose of this study. Their blood was collected and analyzed using standard microbiological and serological procedures. The age of study participants ranged from 16 to 45 years. Out of the number examined, a total of 29 (5.8%) was positive for HBsAg, 5 (1.0%) were positive for antibodies to HCV and 1 (0.2%) was positive for both types of viral hepatitis under study. HBsAg occurred more among the age group 26 – 35 years while none was found in the age group 36 – 45 years. Antibodies to HCV on the other hand were observed only in the age group 36 – 45 years. The bacteria isolated from hepatitis sero-positive samples of the pregnant women included Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Clostridium difficile, C. paraperfringens, C. histolyticum, C. perfringens, C. bifermentans, C. putrefaciens, C. tetani, C. sporogenes, C. tertium, C. septicum, Salmonella typhi, and Bacillus cereus. Staphylococcus spp. was sensitive to gentamycin and ciprofloxacin however it was resistant to ampiclox, zinnacef, amoxicillin and rocephin. Clostridium spp. as well as B. cereus were intermediately sensitive to most of the conventional antibiotics. S. typhi from the sero-positive sample was most susceptible to amoxicillin. From this study, the detection of HBsAg and antibodies to HCV among pregnant women in Akure was more among women within the sexual reproductive age range of 26 to 45 years thus emphasizing the need for routine screening for these viruses so as to prevent vertical and horizontal transmission among the general populace. Moreover, the detection of pathogenic bacteria as observed in this study poses a great threat to the foetus and might complicate the medical condition of the mother. In addition, medical practitioners need to take appropriate precautionary measures against contracting this infection while attending to the women or their babies throughout pregnancy and post-partum.
