Epidemiology and resistance patterns in urinary pathogens from long-term care facilities and GP populations

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major source of antimicrobial prescribing in the clinical setting and a potential reservoir for the emergence of resistant organisms. Although studies have been published on resistance rates for urinary pathogens from both hospital and general practitioner (GP) settings, there is little information from Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) in Ireland. This study aimed to document the epidemiology and resistance rates in urinary isolates, in the LTCF and GP setting, from samples submitted to a typical microbiology laboratory. In 2010, there were 963 urinary isolates from LTCFs and 1,169 urinary isolates from GPs, identified from patients 65 years and over, with cytology suggestive of infection. E. coil was the most common causative organism identified. There were significantly higher levels of resistance to ampicillin, co-amoxiclav, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim, and piperacillin/tazobactam in the LTCF population compared to the GP population (e.g. for E. coli, 86%-v-69%; 30%-v- 21%; 58%-v-26%, 10%-v-3%, 68%-v-48%, 10%-v- 4% respectively). Isolates with resistance mechanisms to beta-lactams, were identified in both populations. Results presented in this paper demonstrate significant differences between resistance rates in LTCF and GP populations which suggest that there are implications for empiric antimicrobial prescribing for UTIs in the LTCF setting.