[Increased antimicrobial resistance in urinary tract infections?].
Increased resistance to antimicrobial agents is an increasing problem. More selective or broadspectrum drugs are needed to treat even simple infections such as urinary tract infections.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate what microorganisms cause urinary tract infections in the community outside hospitals and their sensitivity/patterns to commonly used antimicrobial drugs.


METHODS
Akureyri District in Northern Iceland with on average 17300 inhabitants.


METHODS
During three years (1992-1994), a total of 1996 urine specimens were analysed, 996 were confirmed as positive (>/=1O*5 cfu/ml of urine for all species except Staphylococcus saprophyticus, where the definition 5= 104 was used).


RESULTS
The most common cause of urinary tract infections outside hospitals was E. coli causing 82% of infections and S. saprophyticus causing 4%. For infections caused by E. coli, intermediate sensitivity to ampicillin was 2% and resistant 36%, with corresponding figures for sulfafurasol beeing 8% and 29%; cephalothin 22% and 22%; trimethoprim 1% and 13% and mecillinam 5% and 11%. Only 1% of the strains were resistant to nitrofurantoin.


CONCLUSIONS
Antimicrobial resistance or decreased sensitivity is a considerable problem in urinary tract infections in the community. E. coli was only fully sensitive to nitrofurantoin among commonly used agents. These results can be helpful in the choice of antimicrobial drugs for empirical therapy in suspected or documented urinary tract infections.
Olafsson
M
M
Sigurdsson
J A
JA