Prevalence of multidrug resistant uropathogenic bacteria in pediatric patients of a tertiary care hospital in eastern India

SummaryToday, because systemic infections such as urinary tract infection (UTI) affect even pediatric patients, antibiotic resistant bacteria have become a constant clinical challenge. In the present study, a total of 1054 urine samples were collected from pediatric patients over 18 months. From these samples, 510 isolates of pathogenic bacteria were collected using HiCrome UTI agar. Antibiotic sensitivity tests of isolates were performed using the Kirby–Bauer method. Two Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and 7 Gram-negative bacteria (Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, K. pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were isolated. Antibiograms of isolated bacteria were ascertained using antibiotics of 4 classes: aminoglycosides, β-lactams, fluoroquinolones and 2 stand-alones (co-trimoxazole and nitrofurantoin). Based on percent values of antibiotic resistance, isolated bacteria were (in decreasing order of number of isolated isolates): E. coli (109) > S. aureus (65) > E. faecalis (82) > E. aerogenes (64) > C. freundii (41) > P. aeruginosa (32) > K. pneumoniae (45) > K. oxytoca (50) > P. vulgaris (22). Surveillance results show that MDR isolates of 9 pathogenic bacteria were prevalent in the environment around the hospital. Thus, revisions to the antimicrobial stewardship program in this area of the country are required to increase clinician confidence in empiric therapy, which is often used for UTI cases.