[Nitrofurans: a modern treatment for uncomplicated urinary infections?]

From January 1995 to December 1998, 2,912 strains of enteric bacilli were isolated from the urinary tract. Increasing antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae as a cause of urinary tract infection (UTI) led us to reevaluate first- and second-line therapies. We studied antimicrobial susceptibilities of these strains to norfloxacin (NOR), nalidixic acid (NAL), trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TS) and nitrofurantoin (FT) using the disk diffusion method. These results show no significant superiority of the activity of nitrofurantoin against Enterobacteriaceae compared with the other antibiotics with sustained concentration in urine. However, if we consider only multiresistant Enterobacteriaceae (cefotaxime resistant), this molecule appears to be very active. These results show a significant superiority of nitrofurantoin in vitro against these multiresistant Enterobacteriaceae. Thus, this molecule could once again become a good choice for the treatment of uncomplicated UTI.