Urinary tract pathogens-sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common hospital-acquired infections.
• Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in treating UTIs.
• Evaluating the efficacy of common antibiotics like sulphamethizole, sulphamethoxazole (SM), and trimethoprim (TMP) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the sensitivity of freshly isolated urinary tract pathogens to sulphamethizole, SM, TMP, and the SM/TMP combination.
• To determine the effectiveness of SM/TMP against strains with reduced sensitivity to sulphamethizole or SM.

Main Methods:

• Testing antibiotic sensitivity of 798 and 391 strains of urinary tract pathogens using tablet and disk diffusion methods.
• Evaluating sensitivity to sulphamethizole, SM, TMP, and SM/TMP.
• Analyzing resistance patterns for specific bacteria like Streptococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Main Results:

• High sensitivity (81-91%) to the SM/TMP combination was observed across various strains.
• Streptococcus faecalis showed high resistance to sulphamethizole and SM but sensitivity to TMP and SM/TMP.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited resistance to all tested agents.
• Synergy between SM and TMP was demonstrated in 61% of strains.

Conclusions:

• The SM/TMP combination is highly effective against a broad spectrum of urinary tract pathogens.
• TMP shows promise for treating multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.
• Antibiotic stewardship is essential due to varying resistance patterns, especially for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.