[Microorganisms isolated from outpatient urine samples and antimicrobial susceptibility over a 12-year period]

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of microorganisms isolated from urine samples from outpatients and the resistance of the pathogens isolated to antimicrobial agents used in the province of Cordoba, Spain, which has a Health Area of approximately 776,000 inhabitants. It was a retrospective descriptive study covering a 12-year period (1992-2003). All samples were sent from primary care to the microbiology laboratory. The laboratory techniques and criteria for evaluation were the same in all cases. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated of the Gram-negative bacteria (64%), while Enterococcus faecalis was the most frequently isolated of the Gram-positive bacteria (6.9%). A decrease in susceptibility of the isolates to the most empirically used antimicrobial drugs was observed.