Antimicrobial sensitivities in urinary tract infections in men

Six-thousand-seven-hundred and forty-nine positive urine cultures from a large metropolitan Veterans Administration hospital were analyzed with respect to the organisms isolated and their antimicrobial sensitivities. A "predicted therapeutic efficacy index" was calculated for each antimicrobial agent tested. Gram-negative pathogens accounted for 84% of the infections. Proteus infections outnumbered those due to strains of Escherichia coli. Gentamycin was found to be the most effective antimicrobial agent.