Etiology of the urinary tract infection of acquisition community and profile of susceptibility of Escherichia coli to the main antimicrobial agents

Introducction: urinary tract infection ( UTI) constitutes the second most frequent infection at the primary health assistance level. Fluoroquinolones are the most widely used empirical therapeutics in our country. In order to establish it right, we need to learn about the antimicrobial sensitivity of the most frequent etiological agents. Objetives: the objectives of the present study were the following: to determine the characteristics of the patients who consulted for community acquired urinary tract infection at the emergency service of the Pasteur Hospital; to learn about its etiology and about the sensitivity profile of the E. coli strains isolated in this kind of infection. Method: we conducted a transversal descriptive stuudy where we analysed 313 patients with a urinary tract infection diagnosis: 61 male ( 19.5%) and 252 female ( 80.5%); 177 ( 56.5%) presented upper urinary tract infec- tion and 159 ( 50.8) complicated urinary tract infection. Results: E. coli was the most frequently found/ isolated agent ( 80%), and it was followed by S. saprophyticus ( 6%) and Klebsiella spp ( 6%). Global sensitivity of E. coli to fluoroquinolones was 85%, although a higher resistance rate was found in patients with complicated urinary tract infection or patients that are over 60 years old. Sensitivity to nitrofurantoin was above 97% in all the populations studied. Conclusions: the growing resistance to fluoroquinolones represent a serious public health problem. Therefore, we need to look for different therapeutic options, especially in patients with complicated urinary tract infection or those who are over 60 years old, apart from making a more rational use of antibiotic therapy in non complicated episodes of urinary tract infection.