Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Urine Culture Isolates in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) remain one of the leading causes of infection worldwide, andare a major health concern in developing countries, and lead patients to seek medical care. Recent reports have shown increasing resistance to commonly-used antibiotics. We aimed to study the isolates and their antibiotic resistance pattern in outpatients. Objective: The study was done in Karachi on outdoor patient urine samples, of patients with clinically suspected UTIs, in order to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of different organisms, which would help in deciding empirical antibiotic treatment and improving patient outcome. Materials and Methodology: 400 urine samples of patients clinically suspected to have UTI were collected directly from the bacteriology lab, out of which 77 were culture positive. The positive samples included 64 females and 13 males. Results: The most commonly isolated organism was Escherichia coli (E.coli), followed by Klebsiella species. Escherichia coli was most sensitive to meropenem and nitrofurantoin (96.6%) whereas Klebsiella species were sensitive to several antibiotics excluding cotrimoxazole and the fluoroquinolones. Conclusion: E.coli species is the most common organism causing UTIs. Antimicrobial resistance is emerging against some antibiotics, and the current susceptibility patterns may be used locally for optimum therapeutic outcomes and for preventing antibiotic misuse.