Bacterial etiology and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of female patients with urinary tract infection referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, 2019

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most frequent infections among women, and if untreated could lead to severe complications. The treatment of UTI is difficult due to the appearance of pathogens with increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. This study thus aimed to determine the bacterial etiological pathogens of UTI and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the pathogens isolated. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from March to September 2019 on a total of 339 women referred to Imam Khomeini Teaching Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran. Mid-stream urine samples were collected from the patients and were cultured. The presence of significant bacteriuria was determined using the plate count method. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was done by the standard disk diffusion method. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli (54.8%), Klebsiella (18.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.9%), Proteus (8%), and Acinetobacter (5.1%). E. coli, as the most common pathogen of UTIs, showed the most resistance to cephalosporins and the least resistance to imipenem. According to the findings, E. coli was the most common cause of UTI in our region. Considering the rate of UTI, and the importance of preventing its severe complications, a survey of regional resistance patterns and timely treatment can control the development of its resistant bacteria.