Bacteriologic profile and drug resistance in pediatric patients with symptomatic bacteriuria

The bacteriologic profile in 1081 pediatric patients with culture-positive symptomatic bacteriuria was studied over a 30-month period in a 500-bed acute care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Microbial isolates were considered significant if their numbers equaled or exceeded 10,000 colony-forming units/mL in symptomatic patients. Escherichia coli was the most common causative agent of urinary tract infections (55.1%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.0%), and Enterococcus species (6.1%). Results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that nitrofurantoin and cephradine may be used as empiric therapy pending laboratory investigation; gentamicin can be added in the treatment in severely ill inpatients, and treatment can be modified when microbiologic results become available.