title: Urinary tract infections in the city of Florence: epidemiological considerations over a twenty-year period.
abstract: Our study of significant bacteriurias indicated that the worldwide shift in the etiology of infections also holds true for the Florence area. In a twenty-year period (1970-1990), we noted a decreased frequency of Gram-negative bacilli, particularly of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and a significant increase of Gram-positive cocci in urinary patients. This finding was observed both in hospital and in community-acquired cases in the male sex and only in nosocomial bacteriurias in the female sex. There was a reduced isolation of "classic" urinary pathogens such as Proteus mirabilis: its prevalence in hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI) decreased from 16% in 1970 to 5% in 1990 both in males and in females. On the other hand, we noted an increase of "difficult" microorganisms such as enterococci and methicillin-resistant staphylococci, particularly in the male sex; in 1970 enterococci were occasionally isolated in males both from hospital and from community-acquired UTIs (3% and 5%, respectively), whereas in 1990, on the contrary, they were encountered much more frequently (19% in both cases).
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giganti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paradisi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
mesh_terms: D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology