Pattern and antibiogram of urinary tract infection at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

ObjectiveTo explore the prevalence, pathogenicity, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of urinary tract infections at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.MethodsSamples from 400 patients with a presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract infection including 250 non pregnant females and 150 males were used for this study. They were distributed into two groups: children aged 2 to 17 (Group A) and adults aged 18 to 75 (Group B). The standard wire loop and agar diffusion technique were employed for culture and susceptibility testing, respectively. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS, version 14.Results30.0% of Group A and 41.0% of Group B had significant bacteriuria with 66.7% and 79.3% as females, respectively. The commonest isolates cultured were Escherichia coli (32.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (17.2%), and Klebsiella spp. (16.4%). About 76.6% of isolates were sensitive to the fluorinated quinolones, 31.2% to the aminoglycosides, and 22.7% to the urinary antiseptic, nitrofurantoin. The isolates were non-sensitive to tetracycline (93.8%), cotrimoxazole (92.2%), and nalidixic acid (86.7%). Most isolates showed non-uniform sensitivity patterns to the cephaloporins (cefuroxime and ceftazidime). Pseudomonas spp. isolates were generally resistant to the fluorinated quinolones.ConclusionThough the fluorinated quinolones are still largely effective for empirical therapy in urinary tract infections, the importance of prior sensitivity testing in checking the emergence of bacterial antibiotic resistance can not be overemphasized.