Trimethoprim susceptibility in E. coli community-acquired urinary tract infections in France

Trimethoprim has been recently included in the French guidelines for the treatment of urinary tract infections, but no epidemiological data supports its use. We aimed to determine the trimethoprim susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolates responsible for community-acquired urinary tract infections in women of childbearing age.

We conducted a national prospective survey. A total of 350 strains of E. coli isolated from urines in 35 laboratories were included. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed in each laboratory.

We reported a susceptibility rate of 78%, and a similar clinical categorization between trimethoprim and cotrimoxazole for 97.4% of isolates. We pointed out an association between resistance to trimethoprim and other antibiotic classes.

The results support trimethoprim as a second-line therapy based on antibiotic susceptibility testing results. We confirm that trimethoprim and cotrimoxazole susceptibility rates are very close.