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Susceptibility to first choice antimicrobial treatment for urinary tract infections to Escherichia coli isolates from women urine samples in community South Brazil

ABSTRACT

E. coli is the main pathogen of UTI. It is important to be aware the local epidemiological data for an appropriate initial treatment. Resistance to antimicrobial agents has increased, especially to first-choice antibiotics in the treatment of cystitis. There are few studies on the sensivity profile of community uropathogen in our region.

Objective:

To characterize antimicrobials the sensitivity profile to E. coli isolated from urocultures of women treated at Basic Health Units and Emergency Care Units of Londrina-Paraná- Brazil during a period of 12 months (June 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017).

Methodology:

A cross-sectional study was carried out from June 2016 to June 2017. All urine samples collected in the Basic Health Units and Emergency Departments in the city of Londrina (Paraná State, Brazil) were sent to a Central Laboratory where the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed. Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints were used for the interpretation of susceptibility testing results.

Results:

56,555 urine cultures were performed in the period, of which 8,832 were positive, of which 5,377 were women. Of these samples, 4.7% were enterobacteria producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and 15.5% resistant to quinolones. TMP- SMX was resistant in more than 30% of the samples in all age groups. Among quinolone-resistant isolates, resistance to cephalothin, ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim was greater than 60%. Nitrofurantoin was the only antimicrobial that showed 90% of sensitivity.

Conclusion:

The antimicrobials sensitivity profile was similar to that reported in the literature, with TMP- SMX resistance greater than 30% in the studied samples. Nitrofurantoin maintains high sensitivity rates greater than 90%. Resistance to quinolones increases proportionally with age, as well ESBL.

Keywords:
Urinary tract infection; Bacteriuria; Drug resistance; Uropathogenic; Escherichia coli

Background

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is the most common outpatient infection, and the second most frequent after respiratory tract infection.11 Schappert SM, Rechtsteiner EA. Ambulatory medical care utilization estimates for 2007. Vital Health Stat. 2011;13 (169):1–38. Women are more affected than men due to the shorter distance between the female urethra and bladder, which makes bacterial colonizers ascend to kidneys before they are removed by micturition.22 Foxman B. The epidemiology of urinary tract infection. Nat Rev Urol. 2010;7:653–60. Symptomatic infection is more frequent in women aged 15-29 years (12.6%), whereas the incidence in men comprises 3% in USA.33 Johnson CC. Definitions, classification, and clinical presentation of urinary tract infections. Med Clin North Am. 1991;75:241–52.

Among healthy women aged 18-39 years, 80% of UTIs are caused by E. coli, which is the target of empirical therapy. However, significant variations in antimicrobial susceptibility have been observed in several countries over the last years, with the progressive emergence of resistance to fluoroquinolones and other antibiotics commonly used for empirical treatment of community-acquired UTIs. Presence of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in Latin America increased from 1.7% to 7.1 – 12.5%.44 Córdoba G, Holm A, Hansen F, Hammerum AM, Bjerrum L. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli from patients with suspected urinary tract infection in primary care, Denmark. BMC Infect Dis. 2017;17:670.,55 Lee DS, Lee S-J, Choe H-S. Community-acquired urinary tract infection by Escherichia coli in the era of antibiotic resistance. BioMed Res Int. 2018;2018:1-14.,66 Cunha MA, Assunção GL, Medeiros IM, Freitas MR. Antibiotic resistance patterns of urinary tract infections in a Northeastern Brazilian Capital. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2016;58:2.

Since 2011, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has recommended that trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole), nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, or pivmecillinam, should be used whether local resistance rates of uropathogens causing acute uncomplicated UTIs do not exceed 20%, or whether the infecting strain is known to be susceptible to these drugs.77 Gupta K, Hooon TM, Naber KG, Wullt B, Colgan R, Miller LG, et al. International Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis and Pyelonephritis in Women: A 2010 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52: e103–20. Currently, guidelines recommend fosfomycin trometamol and nitrofurantoin as the first-choice treatment for patients with uncomplicated UTIs, for which cotrimoxazole is the third option.55 Lee DS, Lee S-J, Choe H-S. Community-acquired urinary tract infection by Escherichia coli in the era of antibiotic resistance. BioMed Res Int. 2018;2018:1-14. In Korea, nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin and pivmecillinam are the treatment of first choice for uncomplicated UTIs, whereas cotrimoxazole may be used only when antimicrobial susceptibility testing confirms drug sensitivity.88 Kang C-I, Kim J, Park DW, Kim B-N, Ha U-S, Lee S-J, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the antibiotic treatment of community-acquired urinary tract infections. Infect Chemother. 2018;50:67.

The appropriate choice of antibiotics in patients with suspected uncomplicated UTI should be based on up-to-date surveillance data from patients in primary care settings. Thus, prospective surveillance of antibiotic resistance patterns in uropathogens from all patients attending these settings is crucial for guiding first- and second-line antibiotic selection.44 Córdoba G, Holm A, Hansen F, Hammerum AM, Bjerrum L. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli from patients with suspected urinary tract infection in primary care, Denmark. BMC Infect Dis. 2017;17:670.

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profile for first-line treatment for UTI caused by E.coli isolated in urine samples of women in the community and presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL).

Material and methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out from June 2016 to June 2017. All urine samples collected at the Basic Health Units and Emergency Departments in the city of Londrina (Paraná State, Brazil) were sent to a Central Laboratory where the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed. First-morning midstream urine samples were collected, of which 10 microliters were inoculated onto chromogenic media CPS ID 3 (BioMérieux, Marcy I’Étoile, France), and incubated overnight at 36°C. Urine culture was considered positive according to the following criteria: growth of a single bacterium (pure culture) and colony counts > 1055 Lee DS, Lee S-J, Choe H-S. Community-acquired urinary tract infection by Escherichia coli in the era of antibiotic resistance. BioMed Res Int. 2018;2018:1-14. colony-forming units (CFU)/mL. Bacteria were identified according to phenotypic characteristics displayed on CPS ID 3 medium or by using the Vitek® 2 automated system (BioMérieux, Marcy I’Étoile, France). Urine culture of men and uropathogens other than E. coli were excluded. Data such as age and pregnancy status were analyzed through the WebSaúde system of Londrina city.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST)

AST was performed by using the AST-238 card, whose results were evaluated with the VITEK® 2 (BioMérieux, Marcy-I’Étoile, France) system. The following antibiotics were tested: amikacin (AST-N054 only), ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, aztreonam (AST-N054 only), cefalexin, cefepime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, ertapenem, gentamicin, meropenem, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, and trimethoprim. Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints were used for the interpretation of susceptibility testing results. Isolates were classified as susceptible (S), intermediately resistant (I) or resistant (R) to the aforementioned antimicrobials, respectively, according to the following MIC breakpoints (μg/mL): ampicillin, ≤ 8,16, > 32; amoxicillinclavulanate, ≤ 8/4,16/8, ≥ 32/16; cefuroxime axetil, ≤ 4, 8-16, ≥ 32; norfloxacin, ≤ 4, 8, ≥ 16; ciprofloxacin, ≤ 1, 2, ≥ 4; cotrimoxazole, ≤ 2/38, ≥ 4/76; nitrofurantoin, ≤ 32, 64, ≥ 128; fosfomycin was evaluated by disk diffusion method (Oxoid, Cambridge, UK). The isolates were screened for ESBL production through chromID® ESBL agar plate test (BioMérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France).

Statistical analysis

The results were stored and analyzed using SPSS 17. The participants were subdivided into four age groups (< 15, 15-45, 46- 59, and > 60 years), with their respective bacterial isolates. Two-sided chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to assess whether there were differences regarding the antimicrobial resistance profile of E. coli isolates across age groups. Significant differences in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance between age groups were determined by odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals and p-value < 0.05. The study was approved by Ethics and Research Committee of the State University of Londrina (CAAE 56869816.0.0000.5231) and authorized by the Health Department of Londrina, Paraná.

Results

A total of 56,555 urine cultures were performed, of which 8,382 were positive, and out of these 5,794 (72.2%) were positive for E. coli. Women accounted for 92.8% (5,377/5,794) positive cultures. Moreover, 10% of these women were pregnant, as shown in Fig. 1. ESBL production was detected in 4.7% (n = 255) of the isolates.

Fig. 1
Study population.

The average age of women was 47 years (ranging from 0 to 101 years). In this study, 1,777 (33%) women were aged 60 years and over had isolates presented with a higher frequency of ESBL production (8.3%) when compared to other age groups. Susceptibility rates to the quinolone nalidixic acid and the fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin were 73.3%, 85.7%, and 85.9%, respectively. For the isolates resistant to these three antimicrobials, susceptibility to fosfomycin was 98.3%.

The lowest susceptibility rate was observed for cephalothin (51.8%), followed by ampicillin (54%); while amikacin, ertapenem and meropenem presented the highest susceptibility rate (99.7%). Fig. 2 shows the sensitivity and resistance of all 4,377 samples.

Fig. 2
Antimicrobial sensitivity/ resistance of all E. coli isolated (n = 5377).

Susceptibility to first-line UTI antimicrobials agents according to age

Cephalotin (48.1%) and ampicillin (52%) presented the lowest susceptibility patterns, regardless of age. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) displayed resistance rates greater than 30% in all age groups, whereas cefuroxime presented a susceptibility rate greater than 90%. Susceptibility to gentamicin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, piperacillin-tazobactan, cephalothin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and TMP-SMX had a significant association with age. For the age group 15-45 years, quinolones maintained 90% of susceptibility, except for nalidixic acid, whose susceptibility rate was 78% (Table 1).

Table 1
Antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli isolated from women according to age range.

The level of antimicrobial resistance to the quinolones tested in this study (nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin) was 15.5%. The susceptibility profile to other first-line antimicrobials used in the treatment of UTIs decreased dramatically, especially to cephalothin, ampicillin and TMPSMX, which presented only 40% susceptibility in these isolates. The only first-line antimicrobial agent that maintained a rate of susceptibility greater than 90% for these isolates was nitrofurantoin, regardless of age. The presence of ESBL-producing isolates was not significantly associated with age when the isolate was resistant to the quinolones used in our study (Table 2).

Table 2
Antimticrobial Susceptibility of samples resistant to three quinolones according to age range.

Discussion

Our cross-sectional study shows the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of uropathogens of urine cultures collected from women who attended the Basic Health and Emergency Units in Londrina, Southern Brazil. Londrina has 537,377 inhabitants, and is located at 23°18′36“S51°09′46”O.

E. coli was the most common pathogen isolated. Furthermore, women aged 15-45 years had the greatest number of positive urine cultures, as observed by other authors.22 Foxman B. The epidemiology of urinary tract infection. Nat Rev Urol. 2010;7:653–60.,99 Aypak C, Altunsoy A, Düzgün N. Empiric antibiotic therapy in acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections and fluoroquinolone resistance: a prospective observational study. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2009;8:27.,1010 Kung CH, Ku WW, Lee CH, Fung CP, Kuo SC, Chen TL, Lee YT. Epidemiology and risk factors of community-onset urinary tract infection caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a medical center in Taiwan: a prospective cohort study. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2015;48:168–74.,1111 Rocha JL, Tuon FF, Johnson JR. Sex, drugs, bugs, and age: rational selection of empirical therapy for outpatient urinary tract infection in an era of extensive antimicrobial resistance. Braz J Infect Dis. 2012;16:115–21.

In this study, men were excluded from analysis because they had complicated UTIs, which was not the scope of this work, as also performed by Dubbs et al.1212 Dubbs SB, Sommerkamp SK. Evaluation and management of urinary tract infection in the emergency department. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019;37:707–23. In a study carried out in Curitiba, Brazil, with outpatients who received care at the public health system, Reu et al.1313 Reu CE, Volanski W, Prediger KC, Picheth G Fadel-Picheth CMT. Epidemiology of pathogens causing urinary tract infections in an urban community in southern Brazil. Braz J Infect Dis. 2018;22:505–7. also reported that the lowest frequencies of E. coli, as causative agent of UTIs, were found between pregnant women, men, and boys. These data suggest that although E. coli was the most common uropathogen, its distribution may vary according to sex and patient physiological status, being less common in men.

Resistance to TMP-SMX was greater than 30% in this study, regardless of age. Specifically, 32.5% of isolates from patients aged 60 years and over showed resistance to this antimicrobial agent. According to Gupta et al.,77 Gupta K, Hooon TM, Naber KG, Wullt B, Colgan R, Miller LG, et al. International Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis and Pyelonephritis in Women: A 2010 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52: e103–20. TMP-SMX is recommended as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated UTIs, but only when resistance rates to this antibiotic do not exceed 20%.

It is known that antimicrobial resistance varies geographically, including within a country, as shown by Cunha et al.66 Cunha MA, Assunção GL, Medeiros IM, Freitas MR. Antibiotic resistance patterns of urinary tract infections in a Northeastern Brazilian Capital. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2016;58:2. who reported a resistance rate of 50.6% to TMP-SMX in a Northeastern Brazilian city, while in India, in 2013, the resistance rate to this antibiotic was 52%, increasing up to 59.6% in 2017.1414 Prasada S, Bhat A, Bhat S, Shenoy Mulki S, Tulasidas S. Changing antibiotic susceptibility pattern in uropathogenic Escherichia coli over a period of 5 years in a tertiary care center. Infect Drug Resist. 2019;12:1439–43. However, in a study carried out in the USA, Yamaji et al.1515 Yamaji R, Rubin J, Thys E, Friedman CR, Riley LW. Persistent pandemic lineages of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in a College Community from 1999 to 2017. J Clin Microbiol. 2018;56:e01834–17. showed that frequencies of resistance to TMP-SMX in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolates obtained from outpatients with UTI symptoms in 1999–2000 and in 2016 –2017 had not increased significantly over the studied period (resistance increased slightly from 16.9% to 17.1%). Studies in which resistance to TMP-SMX is greater than 35% suggest the replacement and/or withdrawal of this antibiotic from first-line treatment of uncomplicated UTIs.1616 Guneysel O, Suman E, Ozturk TC. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance and fosfomycin susceptibility rates in uncomplicated urinary tract infections: Time to change the antimicrobial preferences. Acta Clin Croat. 2016;55:49–57. Currently, guidelines have recommended the use of fosfomycin-trometamol and pivmecillinam as first- and second-line treatments for these infections, respectively.1717 Caron F, Galperine T, Flateau C, Azria R, Bonacorsi S, Bruyère F, et al. Practice guidelines for the management of adult community-acquired urinary tract infections. Med Mal Infect. 2018;48:327–58.

In this study, resistance to quinolones surpassed 10% in isolates from women aged ≥ 46 years, whereas the overall resistance level to quinolones was 15.5%. The association of quinolone resistance with older age had also been observed in the literature.

Quinolones are the most frequently selected antimicrobials for treating uncomplicated UTIs in many countries.1818 Stuck AK, Täuber MG, Schabel M, Lehmann T, Suter H, Mühlemann K. Determinants of quinolone versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole use for outpatient urinary tract infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012;56:1359–63.,1919 Benko R, Matuz M, Juhasz Z, Bognar J, Bordas R, Soos G, et al. Treatment of cystitis by hungarian general practitioners: a prospective observational study. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:1498. Risk factors associated with resistance to this antimicrobial class include patients older than 60 years of age, presence of obstructive uropathy, recurrent UTI history, as well as the use of quinolones in the past three months.1919 Benko R, Matuz M, Juhasz Z, Bognar J, Bordas R, Soos G, et al. Treatment of cystitis by hungarian general practitioners: a prospective observational study. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:1498.,2020 Seija V, Fratchez V, Ventura V, Pintos M, González M. Factores asociados al desarrollo de infección urinaria de origen comunitario causada por Escherichia coli resistente a fluoroquinolonas. [Risk factors for community-acquired urinary tract infection caused by fluoroquinolone resistant E. coli]. Rev Chilena Infectol. 2014;31:400–5.,2121 Kobayashi M, Shapiro DJ, Hersh AL, Sanchez GV, Hicks LA. Outpatient antibiotic prescribing practices for uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women in the United States, 2002-2011. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2016;3:ofw159.

Despite FDA warnings about the use of quinolones in 2016,2222 FDA Drug Safety Communication. FDA advises restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for certain uncomplicated infections; warns about disabling side effects that can occur together. 2016. the rate of prescriptions of these antibiotics has not changed over years, and their inappropriate use was more frequent in the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs. Thus, the overuse and side-effects of quinolones must be incorporated into the clinical decision regarding antimicrobial treatment of all infections, such as upper respiratory tract infection, uncomplicated UTIs, and abdominal infections.2323 Cowart K, Worley M, Rouby NE, Sando K. Evaluation of FDA boxed warning on prescribing patterns of fluoroquinolones for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Ann Pharmacother. 2019;53:1192–9.,2424 Bratsman A, Mathias K, Laubscher R, Grigoryan L, Rose S. Outpatient fluoroquinolone prescribing patterns before and after US FDA boxed warning. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2020;29:701–7.

Conversely, resistance to nitrofurantoin was very low in our study, less than 5% in all age groups, including the age group > 60 years, even among those isolates resistant to quinolones (7.6%). The same pattern was observed in a study conducted in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in which 6.6% of E. coli was resistant to nitrofurantoin (n = 653).66 Cunha MA, Assunção GL, Medeiros IM, Freitas MR. Antibiotic resistance patterns of urinary tract infections in a Northeastern Brazilian Capital. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2016;58:2. Likewise, a retrospective analysis performed by Sanchez et al.2525 Sanchez GV, Babiker A, Master RN, Luu T, Mathur A, Bordon J. Antibiotic resistance among urinary isolates from female outpatients in the United States in 2003 and 2012. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016;60:2680–3. showed that, in the United States, nitrofurantoin retains a high level of antibiotic activity against urinary E. coli isolates. Nevertheless, the resistance levels to nitrofurantoin in India and Mexico are among the highest reported worldwide: 3% and 12.7%, respectively.1414 Prasada S, Bhat A, Bhat S, Shenoy Mulki S, Tulasidas S. Changing antibiotic susceptibility pattern in uropathogenic Escherichia coli over a period of 5 years in a tertiary care center. Infect Drug Resist. 2019;12:1439–43.,2626 Ramírez-Castillo FY, Moreno-Flores AC, Avelar-González FJ, Márquez-Díaz F, Harel J, Guerrero-Barrera AL. An evaluation of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in urinary tract infections from Aguascalientes, Mexico: cross-sectional study. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2018;17:34. These results show that nitrofurantoin remains the treatment of choice for uncomplicated UTIs, although it should not be used for the treatment of pyelonephritis, since its concentration in the renal parenchyma is too low.2727 Kot B. Antibiotic resistance among uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Pol J Microbiol. 2019;68:403–15.

In this study, fosfomycin was tested for all quinolone-resistant isolates, showing high susceptibility. Similarly, in a study performed in India with 7,295 isolates obtained from patients with uncomplicated UTI, fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin displayed the greatest susceptibility levels.2828 Batra P, Abrol AK, Gupta S, Pushpan P, Kumar R. Susceptibility pattern of oral antimicrobials in uncomplicated UTI: Does fosfomycin still stand effective? J Family Med Prim Care. 2020;9:850–3. Other countries in Europe and in the USA also reported high rates of susceptibility to Fosfomycin.2929 Hirsch EB, Raux BR, Zucchi PC, Kim Y, McCoy C, Kirby JE, et al. Activity of fosfomycin and comparison of several susceptibility testing methods against contemporary urine isolates. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2015;46:642–7.,3030 Kresken M, Körber-Irrgang B, Biedenbach DJ, Batista N, Besard V, Cantón R, et al. Comparative in vitro activity of oral antimicrobial agents against Enterobacteriaceae from patients with community-acquired urinary tract infections in three European countries. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016;22:63.e1-63.e5. These results highlight the use of fosfomycin as the antibiotic of first choice in the treatment of UTIs.88 Kang C-I, Kim J, Park DW, Kim B-N, Ha U-S, Lee S-J, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the antibiotic treatment of community-acquired urinary tract infections. Infect Chemother. 2018;50:67. In Brazil, fosfomycin is an expensive antimicrobial agent, and unlike TPM-SMX, nitrofurantoin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, it is not available to patients in the public health system. In this scenario, exposure to fosfomycin is a fundamental risk factor which can lead to the selection of resistant E. coli isolates.

Among beta-lactams used for uncomplicated UTIs, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid displayed low levels of resistance regardless of age: 12.1%, 11.1%, 11.8% and 14.6%, for age groups < 15, 15-45, 46-59 and ≥ 60 years, respectively. While in Belgium, Germany, and Spain, levels of resistance to cefuroxime (second-generation cephalosporin) were 5.5%, 12.8%, and 16.6%, respectively (30), in this study cefuroxime showed a low resistance rate, similar to reports in the literature, and thus could be a treatment option for community-acquired UTIs in our region.

ESBL-positive isolates were more frequent the older the women, being more common in women over 60. The frequency of ESBL-producing isolates in the present study was 4.7%, which was lower than the 7.6% found by Abreu et al. in Northeast3131 Abreu AG, Marques SG, Monteiro-Neto V, Gonçalves AG. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae in community-acquired urinary tract infections in São Luís, Brazil. Braz J Microbiol. 2013;44: 469–471. and 7.1% found by Gonçalves et al. in Central-Western Brazil.3232 Gonçalves LF, de Oliveira Martins-Júnior P, de Melo ABF, da Silva RCRM, de Paulo Martins V, Pitondo-Silva A, et al. Multidrug resistance dissemination by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli causing community-acquired urinary tract infection in the Central-Western Region. Brazil. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2016;6:1–4. However, the rates were lower in the Southern (0.4%) and South 1.5% of the country.3131 Abreu AG, Marques SG, Monteiro-Neto V, Gonçalves AG. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae in community-acquired urinary tract infections in São Luís, Brazil. Braz J Microbiol. 2013;44: 469–471.,3232 Gonçalves LF, de Oliveira Martins-Júnior P, de Melo ABF, da Silva RCRM, de Paulo Martins V, Pitondo-Silva A, et al. Multidrug resistance dissemination by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli causing community-acquired urinary tract infection in the Central-Western Region. Brazil. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2016;6:1–4.,3333 Minarini LA, Gales AC, Palazzo IC, Darini AL. Prevalence of community-occurring extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Brazil. Curr Microbiol. 2007;54:335–41.,3434 Wollheim C, Guerra IM, Conte VD, Hoffman SP, Schreiner FJ, Delamare AP, Barth AL, Echeverrigaray S, Costa SO. Nosocomial and community infections due to class A extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBLA)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. in southern Brazil. Braz J Infect Dis. 2011;15:138–43.

ESBL prevalence varies all over the world. A study carried out in Pakistan showed a prevalence of ESBL-production in 33% of E. coli isolated from community-acquired UTIs.3535 Fatima S, Muhammad IN, Usman S, Jamil S, Khan MN, Khan SI. Incidence of multidrug resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase expression in community-acquired urinary tract infection among different age groups of patients. Indian J Pharmacol. 2018;50:69–74. Still, in Southern France, approximately 4% of E. coli isolates from community-acquired UTIs are ESBL producers.3636 Zucconi A, Courjon J, Maruéjouls C, Saintpère F, Degand N, Pandiani L, et al. Managing ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae-related urinary tract infection in primary care: a tool kit for general practitioners. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2018;37:983–6. Prevalence of ESBL might change over time, as shown by Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, USA), where the percentage of ESBL-producing E. coli among community-onset urine isolates increased from 0.21% in 2003 to 2.99% in 2008, that is, a 14-fold increase within that period. Moreover, it was reported that CTX-M-producing E. coli accounted for the majority of ESBLs producers in that hospital.3737 Qi C, Pilla V, Yu JH, Reed K. Changing prevalence of Escherichia coli with CTX-M-type extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in outpatient urinary E. coli between 2003 and 2008. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2010;67:87–91.

Our study has a few limitations. First, our data may not represent the real antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacteria causing uncomplicated UTIs, because urine culture is not recommended at the first episode of uncomplicated UTI. Second, empirical treatment is based on a positive test strip (leukocytes+ or nitrites +) and clinical signs and symptoms. Information concerning patients’ clinical history, prior use of antimicrobials, recurrence of UTI and comorbidities was available. Third, fosfomycin was tested in isolates resistant to the three quinolones used in this study, but not in all isolates, since fosfomycin is expensive and unlike TMP-SMX, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, cephalothin, amoxicillin and nitrofurantoin, it is not offered free of charge by Public Health System.

In conclusion, our data show that TMP-SMX should not be considered as an option for first-line treatment of community-acquired UTIs in our region. Conversely, since nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin displayed the lowest resistance levels, they can be chosen as empirical antimicrobial treatment of uncomplicated UTIs. As antimicrobial resistance to quinolones increases with age, the treatment in older women should always be based on urine culture results. In addition, since resistance to the three quinolones tested in this work was 15.5%, empirical treatment for pyelonephritis should be avoided. Finally, stewardship is necessary for rational antimicrobial prescribing, in an attempt to decrease the selective pressure of resistance in our environment, as well as hospital costs related to hospitalization and patient deaths.

Acknowledgments

We thank Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the financial support. This Project is part of Grand Challenge Exploration – Brazil: New approaches to characterize the Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance.

References

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    Schappert SM, Rechtsteiner EA. Ambulatory medical care utilization estimates for 2007. Vital Health Stat. 2011;13 (169):1–38.
  • 2
    Foxman B. The epidemiology of urinary tract infection. Nat Rev Urol. 2010;7:653–60.
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    Córdoba G, Holm A, Hansen F, Hammerum AM, Bjerrum L. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli from patients with suspected urinary tract infection in primary care, Denmark. BMC Infect Dis. 2017;17:670.
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    Lee DS, Lee S-J, Choe H-S. Community-acquired urinary tract infection by Escherichia coli in the era of antibiotic resistance. BioMed Res Int. 2018;2018:1-14.
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    Cunha MA, Assunção GL, Medeiros IM, Freitas MR. Antibiotic resistance patterns of urinary tract infections in a Northeastern Brazilian Capital. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2016;58:2.
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    Gupta K, Hooon TM, Naber KG, Wullt B, Colgan R, Miller LG, et al. International Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis and Pyelonephritis in Women: A 2010 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52: e103–20.
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    Aypak C, Altunsoy A, Düzgün N. Empiric antibiotic therapy in acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections and fluoroquinolone resistance: a prospective observational study. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2009;8:27.
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    15 July 2022
  • Date of issue
    2022

History

  • Received
    27 Dec 2021
  • Accepted
    01 May 2022
  • Published
    18 May 2022
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