Serratia Marcescens bacterial UTI

[rachellelily]

Hi everyone. So at my 12 week scan they found Serratia Marcescens bacterial urine infection to be treated with 5 days of ciprofloxacin. This was only 1 of 2 antibiotics they thought would be susceptible to the bacteria (the other is Cotrimaxozole but I'm not sure if this is worse). When I research I see that this treatment with ciprofloxacin may cause developmental issues, teratogenic effects like
arthropathy in animal models and it is making me uncomfortable (no reliable research in human pregnancies). Basically it is not completely safe for asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. What do people do in this situation? Leaving the infection untreated is certainly related to worse outcomes (miscarriage, pre-term birth). Is this when people make the hard decision to have an abortion? I have no idea what to do.

Thats an unusual bacteria and usually seen in people who have had lots of other antibiotics
Do you have recurrent UTIs?
Can you be referred to a materno- fetal specialist, who is a physician who specialises in medical problems in pregnant women.

The risk of the antibiotics likely outweighs the risk of untreated infection but to speak with your dr about it.

Its not that rare a bacteria to have a UTI with, discuss the antibiotics choice with your GP, they wouldn't prescribe you things that will damage your baby

Try not to panic - you've got a slightly unusual bacteria in your urine, for which there are treatment options. This isn't something where you need to be considering abortion at all (unless you want to consider it, which is an entirely different situation and would need you to consider different factors).

If you're worried about taking the cipro, then speak with your GP or call your midwife - ask them for advice. They may be able to explain why cipro was chosen, or arrange a different treatment if you're still concerned. When the sample was being cultured and tested for sensitivity to antibiotics, the lab almost certainly won't have tested every available antibiotic (this would be very time-consuming and inefficient as most bacteria will be sensitive to at least one of the widely available antibiotics). So, if there are still concerns, the lab could always be asked to check a sample for sensitivity to less widely used antibiotics.

In the meantime, make sure you're drinking plenty of water and maybe try cranberry juice too - it's not hugely evidence-based but quite a lot of women report cranberry juice helps with UTIs. Make sure your hygiene practices are as good as you can make them, and if you don't already, try wearing breathable cotton /non-synthetic underwear.

@rachellelily

Hi everyone. So at my 12 week scan they found Serratia Marcescens bacterial urine infection to be treated with 5 days of ciprofloxacin. This was only 1 of 2 antibiotics they thought would be susceptible to the bacteria (the other is Cotrimaxozole but I'm not sure if this is worse). When I research I see that this treatment with ciprofloxacin may cause developmental issues, teratogenic effects like arthropathy in animal models and it is making me uncomfortable (no reliable research in human pregnancies). Basically it is not completely safe for asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. What do people do in this situation? Leaving the infection untreated is certainly related to worse outcomes (miscarriage, pre-term birth). Is this when people make the hard decision to have an abortion? I have no idea what to do.

Hey everyone, so yes obstetricians will prescribe antibiotics if the risk of not treating is related to worse outcomes than treatment itself. I took a couple of antibiotics as I am meant to trust my doctors advice (I am a biomedical scientist so have more idea of what is going on than maybe others) but I had a hunch the sample could have been contaminated (due to type of bacteria, how much of it was present, and the look of the sample on the day). I took a separate urine analysis on a separate day after 24 hours clearance of taking no antibiotic and it showed no bacterial infection. I have to say i am happy to not take the full course as the jury is really out on the safety of this medication during pregnancy. It's a shame I have over treated myself unnecessarily in this case. Had to go to another ob-gyn as my current one would not address it. Let's call this a small win!