Antibiotic sensitivities of common bacterial pathogens in urinary tract infections at Gondar Hospital, Ethiopia

To determine the prevalence and sensitivity trends of urinary bacterial isolates.

A cross-sectional study.

Gondar College of Medical Sciences (GCMS) Teaching and Referral Hospital, north west Ethiopia.

Four hundred and twenty urine specimens from 70 in-patient and 350 out-patient cases were studied by quantitative culture method and anti-microbial sensitivity test was done by disc diffusion technique.

One hundred and seventy two pathogenic organisms were isolated from 166 patients; the isolation rate was 39.5 %. Among the isolates E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella species, coagulase negative Staphylococcus species and Citrobacter species were common accounting for 46.0%, 18.0%, 10.0%, 8.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Of the total isolates 71.5% were Gram negatives. Sensitivity tested against ten antibiotics showed that resistance was common, and the effectiveness of tetracycline, ampicillin, co-trimoxazole, chloramphenicol and penicillin was under 50.0%. The resistance rate was 71.5%, 62.2%, and 62.2%, 54.7% and 40.8%, respectively. Polymixin B, cefoxitin, gentamycin and erythromycin controlled over 76.0% of the common infective agents. Ciprofloxacin did control 98.3% of the organisms.

Resistance was found to be very high to the commonly used antibiotics. The sensitivity rate for the recently introduced ciprofloxacin was above 98%. Therefore, this antibiotic may be used for empirical therapy of urinary tract infection (UTI) when culture and sensitivity testing is impossible. Strict control on the use of antibiotics and appropriate measures against over the counter availability and self-medication is recommended.