OCCURRENCE OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION IN ADOLESCENT AND ADULT WOMEN OF SHANTY TOWN IN DHAKA CITY, BANGLADESH

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is commonly experienced by women of various agegroups especially elderly ones. We planned to find out the prevalent microbial strains causing UTI inslum inhabitant adolescent and adult women in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.METHODS AND MATERIALS: Urine sample was collected from 462 UTI suspected female subjects.Pathogenic bacteria were identified using standard microbiological tests, and antimicrobial sensitivityprofiles of the pathogens were determined.RESULTS: Bacteriuria was present in 9% of the subjects. A higher incidence (16.8%) of UTI was notedamong adult women aged above 19 years. Escherichia coli (69%), Streptococcus spp. (15%) andPseudomonas aeruginosa (7%) were more frequently isolated from the urine samples compared toEnterococcus faecalis (3%), Staphylococcus aureus (2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2%) and Hafnia alvei(2%). The E. coli isolates showed complete resistance to commonly used drugs, and 58% of these isolateswere multidrug resistant (MDR). Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values for ciprofloxacinranged between 64μg/ml and 512μg/ml, and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) valuesagainst the isolates were 128μg/ml or above. Isolated strains of E. coli exhibited equal extent ofciprofloxacin resistance irrespective of the presence or absence of plasmid in them.CONCLUSION: The extent of drug resistance among the uropathogens if ignored may render themuncontrollable. This study suggests regular monitoring of drug resistance phenotype of the UTIpathogens to reduce the morbidity of female UTI patients and offer better treatment strategy in thehealthcare sectors of Bangladesh.KEYWORDS: Urinary tract infection (UTI), Multidrug resistance (MDR), Adolescent women