Prevalence and Susceptibility Profiles of Bacterial Pathogens Associated with Urinary Tract Infections in Children Presenting at Kisii Level 5 Hospital, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

Urinary Tract infection (UTI) is a serious infection causing illness in infants and children. It represents one of the most common diseases encountered in medical practice today. Despite the widespread availability of antibiotics, it remains the most common bacterial infection. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing therefore provides information that allows physicians to select the most appropriate antimicrobial agents for treating these infections and give the most effective antibiotic. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of UTI among children presenting at Kisii Level 5 hospital and to evaluate the sensitivity patterns of the identified isolates to commonly used antibiotics. A total of 186 urine samples were collected from in and out-patients attending Kisii level 5 Hospital, Kisii County, Kenya between December 2012 and March 2013. Urine samples accompanied by microbiology request forms were delivered directly to the laboratory. All sample processing and patient’s biodata were carried out centrally in Kisii level 5 hospital microbiology laboratory. The samples were cultured on Cystein lactose electrolytedeficient (CLED) media and incubated for 18 hours at 37oC. Criteria for defining significant bacteriuria was the presence of 105colony forming units per millimetre of urine. The bacterial isolates recovered were tested against Ampicilin, Tetracycline, Nitrofurantion, Nalidixic acid, Streptomycin, Co-Trimoxazole and Gentamicin using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique.Data was presented as frequencies. Chi square analysis (2)was used in comparing of positive UTI cases according to individual characteristics. Evaluations were carried out at 95 % confidence level and P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Among the 186 samples examined 63.4 % of them were from female patients and 36.6 % from male patients; 26 (14 %) samples had positive bacteriuria with Escherichia coli isolates being the highest with 13 (50 %,),Klebsiella 8 (30.8 %), Staphylococcus aureus 4 (15.4 %) and Pseudomonas aureginosa1 (3.8 %). The isolates were sensitive to Nitrofurantion, Nalidixic acid, and Streptomycin while resistant to Ampicilin, Tetracycline, Gentamicin and Cotrimoxazole. There is therefore need to monitor the profile of etiological bacterial agents of UTI and the antimicrobial resistance regularly to keep track of effectiveness of serving therapeutic agents.