Prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infection in female patients. Efficacy of low-dose, thrice-weekly therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
Thirty-two women with recurrent urinary tract infections were treated after eradication of existing infections with a mixture of 40 mg of trimethoprim and 200 mg of sulfamethoxazole thrice weekly at bedtime for six months. Six preadolescents received one half this dose. During 21.3 cumulative patient-years of prophylaxis, one infection due to Streptococcus faecalis and one due to a sulfamthoxazole-and trimethoprim-sensitive Escherichia coli occurred--an infection incidence of 0.1 per patient-year. During prophylaxis, 61 of 72 periurethral cultures and 24 of 51 anal canal cultures failed to yield Enterobacteriaceae. One patient had transient colonization with a trimethoprim-resistant E coli during prophylaxis. Twenty-one patients had recurrent infection within six months of discontinuation of prophylaxis, with a mean time to recurrence of 2.6 months. One infection recurred 26 weeks following prophylaxis with a Proteus mirabilis. Thrice-weekly trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy was effective for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections and did not predispose to colonization or infection with trimethoprim-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D004338:Drug Combinations; D014295:Trimethoprim; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole