Significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci in urinary tract infections in a developing country

The biotyping of 154 (3.8%) coagulase-negative staphylococci from 4,051 urinary specimens in males and females was performed. Their significance and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were also evaluated. S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis accounted for approximately 90% of isolates from females, while in males only 68.7% of isolates were S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. xylosus, S. simulans, and S. hyicus, The mean age for females with infections due to S. saprophyticus was 23 years while for males with infections due to S. epidermidis it was 77 years. The mean age for infections due to other staphylococci was higher in males than in females. There was little variation in the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in the various species. The results suggest that apart from S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis, six other species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (S. hominis, S. xylosus, S. simulans, S. hyicus, S. hemolyticus, and S. cohnii) account for most urinary tract infections irrespective of gender.