Empirical treatment of urinary tract infections: how rational are our guidelines?

Detection of the blaNDM-1 Gene in Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales Causing Urinary Tract Infections in Patients at a Rural Teaching Hospital

BACKGROUND

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) pose a significant public health threat due to their resistance to last-line antibiotics. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by multidrug-resistant organisms have become a major challenge in clinical settings. The spread of CRE is largely attributed to the acquisition of carbapenemase-encoding genes, horizontal gene transfer, and overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 9235 urine samples were analyzed, and more than 105 CFU/mL bacterial count was considered positive for UTI. These bacteria were identified and further screened for CRE and blaNDM-1 genes.

RESULTS

A total of 9235 urine samples were analyzed, out of which 555 were identified as Enterobacterales. Among these, 47 were confirmed as CRE, accounting for 8.5% of the Enterobacterales isolates. Out of 47 CRE, 28 were positive for the blaNDM-1 gene.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the increasing burden of CRE and the urgent need for stringent antimicrobial stewardship, effective infection control measures, and the development of new therapeutic strategies to combat MDR infections. Additionally, risk factors associated with CRE infections, their implications on public health, and potential future therapeutic approaches are discussed.

Paediatric Escherichia coli urinary tract infection: susceptibility trends and clinical management-a retrospective analysis of a 10-year period

BACKGROUND

Escherichia coli is the predominant urinary pathogen in children. Irish and international studies have demonstrated increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to antibiotics such as co-amoxiclav.

AIMS

We aimed to (1) examine the AMR patterns of paediatric urinary E. coli isolates, from both hospital and community sources, over a 10-year period; (2) assess the effectiveness of Children's Health Ireland (CHI) antimicrobial guidance given local susceptibility data; and (3) review the clinical management of an admitted patient sub-set over a 6-year period.

METHODS

Pure growth of urinary E. coli from patients aged ≤ 14 from 2012 to 2021 were analysed for AMR. Differences in susceptibility rates were assessed. A retrospective chart review conducted on inpatients aged ≥ 2 months to ≤ 14 years, 2016-2021.

RESULTS

E. coli accounted for 70.8% of likely significant positive pure growth cultures (9314 isolates). Susceptibility to co-amoxiclav significantly increased over time, from 66.7% to 80.4% (2016-2021, p < 0.001). Nitrofurantoin and cefalexin had significantly higher susceptibility rates than trimethoprim (< 70% annually). 85.1% of isolates were susceptible to the combination of co-amoxiclav and gentamicin, recommended for those > 2months and systemically unwell. The additional gain in empiric susceptibility provided by gentamicin above that provided by co-amoxiclav alone has fallen from 16.4% to 6.7% (2016-2021). The 222 clinical cases reviewed showed improved antimicrobial guideline compliance over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides important regional AMR data. Co-amoxiclav susceptibility increased significantly over time, contrasting with previous studies. This was temporally associated with stewardship measures reducing co-amoxiclav prescribing. Decreasing utility of gentamicin supports recent CHI guideline updates reducing gentamicin use.

Optimizing antimicrobial therapy in urinary tract infections: A focus on urine culture and sensitivity testing

Objectives: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Jordan university hospital to evaluate the impact of microbial culture data and sensitivity results on optimizing UTI treatment. Methods: All positive urine cultures requested for adult patients (≥18 years) admitted to Jordan University Hospital (JUH) within the period from January 2019-July 2021 were evaluated. The antibiotics prescribed before and after culture data and sensitivity results were compared to evaluate the impact of these diagnostic measures on optimizing UTI treatment. Results: During the study period, 2400 urine cultures revealed positive results. Among those patients, 1,600 (66.7%) were discharged before the availability of culture results and excluded. Of the remaining 800 patients, 701 patients (87.6%) received empiric treatment. After culture and sensitivity results were available, overall, 84 (10.5%) patients had optimization (improvement) in their UTI management after culture results were known, while 6 (0.8%) patients had a worsening in their treatments. Based on the culture results, we found that only 12.4% of patients were appropriately treated before and after the culture results. Moreover, our results revealed that 31.9% were inappropriately treated for their UTIs before and after culture results. Conclusion: This study revealed an alarmingly high rate of inappropriate treatment of UTIs despite the availability of urine culture and sensitivity data, and that culture results were not used to optimize treatment strategies for UTI. This practice can potentially result in poor health-related outcomes and adversely affects efforts to battle AMR. Multifaceted strategies must be implemented to help clinicians follow the best current evidence and current guidelines in their selection of antibiotics for the management of UTIs.

The Appropriateness of Empiric Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Joran: A Cross-Sectional Study

This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted at Jordan University Hospital (JUH) to evaluate the appropriateness of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) empiric treatment based on microbial culture data and susceptibility testing. All urine cultures requested for adult patients (≥18 years) admitted to JUH within the period from January 2019–July 2021 were reviewed and only those cultures with positive episodes of infection were considered. In this study, 6950 urine culture episodes were screened; among them, 34.5% (n = 2400) revealed positive results. Among those patients with positive culture episodes, 1600 patients (66.7%) were discharged before the availability of culture results and were excluded. Of the remaining eligible 800 patients, 701 (87.6%) received empiric treatment. In 26.8% of the eligible cases (n = 214), the prescribed empiric agents failed to have appropriate coverage of the identified pathogens, and in 14.6% of the cases (n = 117) the identified microorganisms were reported as resistant to the prescribed empiric agents. Furthermore, only 13.4% of the patients (n = 107) were appropriately treated for their UTI with empiric antibacterial agents. We were not able to judge the appropriateness of UTI treatment for one third (n = 263, 32.9%) of the patients, because they did not have susceptibility reports performed. This study revealed an alarmingly high rate of inappropriate treatment of UTIs, which encourages the emergence of bacterial resistance and affects health-related outcomes negatively. Therefore, antimicrobial stewardship programs must be applied to optimize antibiotic consumption in hospital settings.

Influence of Antimicrobial Resistance on the Course of Symptoms in Female Patients Treated for Uncomplicated Cystitis Caused by Escherichia coli

BACKGROUND

Resistance to the prescribed antibiotic causes a longer duration of symptoms in patients with urinary tract infection. Yet, a study found that patients infected with trimethoprim-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) had a prolonged duration of symptoms even if treated with an antibiotic to which the strain was susceptible. The purpose of this study was to attempt to reproduce this finding in a different cohort.

METHODS

We analyzed data from two studies from general practice in the Capital Region of Denmark including patients from 2014 to 2016. The primary outcome was the severity of frequency and dysuria. The secondary outcome was the number of days until symptoms had disappeared.

RESULTS

We included 180 women treated for uncomplicated cystitis caused by E. coli. We found that 16.11% (n = 29) of the E. coli strains were resistant to all of the three selected antibiotics (ampicillin, sulfamethizole and trimethoprim). There was no significant difference in severity or time until the symptoms had disappeared between women infected with resistant or susceptible E. coli.

CONCLUSIONS

Strains of E. coli resistant to ampicillin, sulfamethizole and trimethoprim causing uncomplicated cystitis do not result in more severe symptoms or a longer symptom duration if treated with an antibiotic to which they are susceptible.

Label-Free Electrochemical Sensor for Rapid Bacterial Pathogen Detection Using Vancomycin-Modified Highly Branched Polymers

Rapid point of care tests for bacterial infection diagnosis are of great importance to reduce the misuse of antibiotics and burden of antimicrobial resistance. Here, we have successfully combined a new class of non-biological binder molecules with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)-based sensor detection for direct, label-free detection of Gram-positive bacteria making use of the specific coil-to-globule conformation change of the vancomycin-modified highly branched polymers immobilized on the surface of gold screen-printed electrodes upon binding to Gram-positive bacteria. Staphylococcus carnosus was detected after just 20 min incubation of the sample solution with the polymer-functionalized electrodes. The polymer conformation change was quantified with two simple 1 min EIS tests before and after incubation with the sample. Tests revealed a concentration dependent signal change within an OD600 range of Staphylococcus carnosus from 0.002 to 0.1 and a clear discrimination between Gram-positive Staphylococcus carnosus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. This exhibits a clear advancement in terms of simplified test complexity compared to existing bacteria detection tests. In addition, the polymer-functionalized electrodes showed good storage and operational stability.

Antimicrobial Resistance Among Uropathogens: Surveillance Report From South India

Background Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections encountered in clinical practice. Evidence supports that empirical treatment guidelines based on local bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance provide the best clinical results and also prevent the emergence of resistant strains. Antimicrobial resistance has been increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. This warrants continuous reporting and surveillance of the emergence of AMR among the uropathogens across regions and nations. Materials and methods A retrospective cross-sectional study using antibiograms of adult patients with culture-proven UTI during January 2011 and January 2017 was done. Comparative analysis was performed between the two study periods for the prevalence, changing trends of antimicrobial resistance, and usage of antimicrobials for testing. Results The commonest organism cultured during each study period was Escherichia coli (56.6% and 51.6%). The most frequently tested antibiotics were ampicillin (97%, 88%), amikacin (85%, 85%), nitrofurantoin (95%, 95%), cephalexin (84%, 93%), and norfloxacin (83%, 83%). There was a significant increase in resistance proportion noted for imipenem (by 29.8%), meropenem (by 18.3%), ertapenem (by 24.9%), ciprofloxacin (by 26.5%), nitrofurantoin (by 11.2%), amikacin (by 8.7%), and cefotaxime (by 7.4%) in 2017 as compared to 2011. A significant increase in susceptibility was seen for tobramycin (by 32.5%), cefepime (by 14.4%), and polymyxin (by 12.6%) in 2017 when compared to 2011. Conclusion Our analysis has shown that there is an alarmingly increasing trend for AMR among uropathogens in this region as compared to developed countries. Data on changing trends of antimicrobial testing and reporting might help in strengthening antimicrobial surveillance.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Biofilm-Forming Capabilities are not Predictable from Clinical Details or from Colonial Morphology

Antibiotic resistance is increasing to an extent where efficacy is not guaranteed when treating infection. Biofilm formation has been shown to complicate treatment, whereby the formation of biofilm is associated with higher minimum inhibitory concentration values of antibiotic. The objective of the current paper was to determine whether biofilm formation is variable among uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates and whether formation is associated with recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI), and whether it can be predicted by phenotypic appearance on culture medium A total of 62 E. coli isolates that were reported as the causative agent of UTI were studied (33 from patients denoted as having recurrent UTI and 29 from patients not specified as having recurrent UTI). The biofilm forming capability was determined using a standard microtitre plate method, using E. coli ATCC 25922 as the positive control. The majority of isolates (93.6%) were found to be biofilm formers, whereby 81% were denoted as strong or very strong producers of biofilm when compared to the positive control. Through the use of a Wilcox test, the difference in biofilm forming propensity between the two patient populations was found to not be statistically significant (p = 0.5). Furthermore, it was noted that colony morphology was not a reliable predictor of biofilm-forming propensity. The findings of this study indicate that biofilm formation is very common among uropathogens, and they suggest that the biofilm-forming capability might be considered when treating UTI. Clinical details indicating a recurrent infection were not predictors of biofilm formation.