Abstract:
Introduction: urinary tract infection (UTI) comes
second after respiratory infections in most
communities and hospital settings, affecting
people of all ages. Frequent use of antibiotics to
manage UTI has resulted in development of
resistance, calling upon policymakers to fast-track
and enforce policies that guide the use of
antibiotics in the country. This study intended to
determine the current antibiotic resistance to
uropathogens among patients attending Kericho
County Referral Hospital. Methods: three hundred urine samples from
eligible participants were cultured and bacteria
colonies identified using biochemical tests.
Antibiotic sensitivity was done using Kirby Bauer
disk diffusion method on Mueller Hinton Agar.
Results: the aetiological agents of UTI were
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococci faecalis, E. coli,
Proteus spp and Klebsiella pneumonia. Antibiotic
resistance was observed among these
uropathogens to commonly used antibiotics
namely; ampicillin (84.3%), azithromycin (71.9%)
and augmentin (69.8%). However, there were
some bacteria that were susceptible to all or some
commonly used antibiotics. There was moderate
resistance to norfloxacin (43%) except in
Staphylococcus aureus which showed 64%
resistance. The isolates showed less resistance to
cefoxitine (13.2%), gentamycin (11.6%) and
ciprofloxacin (10%). While most bacteria showed
multiple resistance to 3 drugs, some showed
resistance to at most 5 drugs tested in the study.
Conclusion: this study found Staphylococcus
aureus to be the predominant aetiological agent of
UTI. Cefoxitine, gentamycin and ciprofloxacin are
good therapeutic choices for confirmed recurrent
UTI when culture results are unavailable. There is
need to have regular screening of aetiological
agents of UTI and their resistance to
antimicrobials.
