A SEVEN MONTHS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON URINARY TRACT INFECTION AMONG PATIENTS AT AMINU KANO TEACHING HOSPITAL,

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a significant health problem world wide, affecting all ages and both sexes. It is the most common infectious complication associated with serious risk in pregnancy and responsible for a high rate of morbidity in neonates and children. Most often antibiotics are prescribed in UTI before bacteriological results are available. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of the disease among different sexes and age groups as well as the predominant bacterial pathogens and their sensitivity to antibiotics so as to guide empirical antibiotic therapy. Data of 123 patients who had a positive urine culture at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital seen in December 2004 to July 2005 was collected retrospectively and evaluated. The results showed that Escherichia coli was the most encountered uropathogen accounting for 39.8%, Proteus sp 26%, Klebsiella 21.1 % while Pseudomonas sp was the least accounting for 0.8%. Females (especially at the child-bearing ages) were found to have a higher frequency of UTI (54.5%) as against their male counter parts (45.5%) in the area studied. The isolated pathogens showed more sensitivity to cephalosphorins and flouroquinolones (31.3 and 40.6 % respectively) and less to penicillins (13.6%). They may therefore be used as an alternative to penicillins