Recent trends in uropathogenic infections in patients of a tertiary care center, New Delhi, India, – a topic of urgent attention

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the leading cause of outpatient visits and nosocomial infections worldwide resulting in increased healthcare costs. Information about the disease-associated pathogens and their susceptibility profile is of paramount importance for choosing antimicrobials and containing the alarming rise in microorganisms’ drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of gram-negative and gram-positive uropathogens in hospitalized adult patients, considering their sensitivity profile. The study retrospectively analyzed 2099 urine samples received from December 2019 to May 2020. The isolates were identified by standard microbiological methods, and sensitivity testing was done following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines (2019). Out of the 2099 samples tested, 212 were positive. The vast majority of samples (97.6%) was received from women. Escherichia coli (34.9%) was the most common gram-negative pathogen, while Enterococcus spp. (15.1%) prevailed among gram-positive organisms. Among gram-negative organisms, a high susceptibility was observed for aminoglycosides (amikacin, netilmicin), nitrofurantoin, and carbapenems, while a high resistance was found towards co-trimoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and cephalosporins. We confirmed that nitrofurantoin, a traditional oral drug, still demonstrates good activity against uropathogens. Thus, there is an urgent need to study uropathogens and their susceptibility patterns to control the inadvertent use of antimicrobials and the spread of multidrug-resistant strains