Which bacteria are found in Belgian women with uncomplicated urinary tract infections in primary health care, and what is their susceptibility pattern anno 95-96?
Dysuria is a frequent reason for encounter in general practice and also gynaecologists and urologists will be frequently confronted with it. In female patients 1/2 to 2/3 of dysuric episodes are due to urinary tract infections. In nearly all cases therapy is started before the results of a culture is available. Therefore it is very important to know which bacteria are most prevalent in the treated population, and what their susceptibility pattern is . Because most available information is based on retrospective data issued from very mixed populations, we performed a prospective study including the most frequently involved population: symptomatic adult women without any symptom of complicated UTI. Among 279 urine specimens collected in general practices, 164 were positive (59%). The most frequent micro-organism found was E. coli (78%), followed by S. saprophyticus (9%) and Proteus spp. (4%). In the 15 remaining specimens, 8 different bacterial species were found. Overall resistance to ampicillin was 30%, to cotrimoxazole 14%, to nitrofurantoin 7%, to fluoroquinolones 1%. The E.coli resistance to ampicillin was 27%, to co-trimoxazole 17%, to nitrofurantoin 1% and to fluoroquinolones 1%. In this population the same bacteria, in the same proportion, are found as in earlier studies in other countries. The susceptibility pattern confirms a substantial resistance level to ampicillin and co-trimoxazole. On the contrary, resistance to nitrofurantoin and fluoroquinolones is negligible. Resistance data from Belgian regional laboratories in their outpatient population were significantly different from ours.
Christiaens
T H
TH
Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Gent Belgium.
Heytens
S
S
Verschraegen
G
G
De Meyere
M
M
De Maeseneer
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D001530:Belgium; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*