Antibiotic resistance profile of Escherichia Coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infections

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections whether they are community or hospital acquired. Several risk factors are associated with UTIs, such as, amongothers, sex, previous UTIs, vaginal infections, and genetic susceptibility. In the present study, weanalyzed the resistance profile of Escherichia coli which is the bacterium frequently associated with urinary tract infections. E. coli strains were isolated by culture from urine from 150 episodes of urinary tract infections. Our results showed that among the 150 episodes tested, 102 were from females (69%) and 45 were from males (31%). The antibiogram results showed that E. coli strains exhibited high resistance against ampicillin and amoxicillin because these two antibiotics are the most widely used in the medical field. Imipenem and aminoglycosides, on the other hand, remain the most active molecules. Nevertheless, it is prudent to use these antibiotics, in order to reduce the risk of developing resistance against them.