Antibiotic sensitivity pattern to urinary tract infections in a tertiary care hospital in South India

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial illnesses and hence one of the most important indications for antibiotic treatment. Current knowledge of the common organisms implicated in causing UTI in the local community and surveillance to monitor the changes in susceptibility of uropathogens are imperative to ensure appropriate therapy. The study objectives were to assess the proportion of UTI caused by each of the common urinary pathogens, to study the antibiotic drug sensitivity patterns by analyzing the culture and sensitivity reports and to identify the drugs which would be potentially favourable candidates for empirical therapy in the study locale.Methods: This hospital based cross sectional study was done by collecting the data from case records of patients who attended OPD or were admitted with diagnosis of UTI during the study period.Results: Escherichia coli was the single most important cause of UTI, accounting for 70% of the infection among the studied subjects, amongst which 55% was extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing organisms. A pattern of increased susceptibility to higher antibiotics like ertapenem, tigecycline and decreased sensitivity to fluroquinolones was evident. In addition, nitrofurantoin was found to be one of the antibiotics to which most of the organisms were susceptible (85%) favouring its use in empirical therapy of UTI.Conclusions: The pattern of accentuated susceptibility to higher antibiotics in the face of declining trend in the sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics necessitates promoting awareness on the need for rational prescribing of antibiotics among clinicians