[Resistance of catheter-associated urinary tract infections to antibacterials]

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are the most common nosocomial infections. The worldwide data show the increasing resistance to conventional antibiotics among urinary tract pathogens.

To evaluate the adequacy of initial antimicrobial therapy in relation to the antimicrobial resistance of pathogens responsible for CAUTI in Clinical Center of Banja Luka.

A retrospective study on major causes of CAUTI, antibiotic resistance and treatment principles was conducted at four departments of the Clinical Center of Banja Luka from January 1st, 2000 to April 1st, 2003.

The results showed that 265 patients had developed CAUTI. The seven most commonly isolated microorganisms were, in descending order: E. coil (31.0%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.8%), Proteus mirabilis (12.9%), Gr. Klebsiella-Enterobacter (12.3%), Enterococcus spp. (5.2%), Pseudomonas spp. (4.3%), Serratia spp. (4.0%). The most common pathogens were highly resistant to ampicillin (64-100%), gentamycin (63-100%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (68-100%), while some bacterias, like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia spp. showed rates of ciprofloxacin resistance as high as 42.8% and 72.7%, respectively. In 55.5% of the cases, the initial antibiotic therapy was inadequate, and was corrected latter on. There were no standard therapeutic protocols for this type of nosocomial infections.

The results of this study emphasized an urgency of the prevention and introduction of clinical protocols for better management of CAUTI. Treatment principles should better correspond to the antibiotic sensitivity of uropathogens.