Antimicrobial resistance of urinary tract pathogens in children in Crete, Greece

The aim of the present study was to identify the organisms responsible for community acquired febrile UTI in children and to investigate their susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. A 5-y prospective analysis was performed in children hospitalized for a first episode of UTI, in Crete, Greece. A total of 262 children, 40.1% males and 59.9% females, aged 0.08 to 13 y, were enrolled in the study. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the leading uropathogen. Antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolates was most commonly to ampicillin (56.4%) followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) (27.3%), cefaclor (22.5%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (15.5%), gentamicin (4.9%), cefuroxime (3.1%), nitrofurantoin (2.6%), and ceftriaxone (1.6%). Interestingly, a significant decrease in E. coli resistance to TMP-SMX was observed during the study period. Resistance to ampicillin, TMP-SMX and cefaclor was noted for 61%, 28% and 27% of the total uropathogens, respectively, making these agents inappropriate for empirical treatment of febrile UTI in our region. A larger number of pathogens may be empirically treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate. More than 90% of the uropathogens are susceptible to cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, and nitrofurantoin. In conclusion, several of the first-line agents for empirical treatment of childhood UTI seem to have become ineffective in the area of this study.