Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of enterobacteria causing urinary tract infection in outpatients of the Loja- Ecuador.

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined as the growth of microorganisms in sterile urine culture in a patient with compatible clinical symptoms or without symptoms. Being a frequent cause of visits to the doctor; and these are among the most prevalent infections in clinical practice. Objective: To characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Enterobacteriaceae that cause urinary tract infection in patients who attend the SER laboratory in Loja-Ecuador 2022. Methods: The descriptive, secondary documentary, observational method was used. Records of urine cultures positive for Enterobacteria were collected from patients who attended the SER clinical laboratory in Loja between January - December 2022, and a sample of n= 229 records was obtained. For the statistical analysis, a database was generated in the SPSS program, which was carried out using descriptive statistics and frequency analysis. Results: In the present study of the 229 valid cases under study, 87.8% corresponded to the female sex. Regarding the age group most affected, it was the group corresponding to old age (60 or older) with 44.54%. The bacterial species with the highest incidence was Escherichia coli with 79.04%, Klebsiella pneumoniae with 9.17%, Proteus mirabilis with 4.80%, Proteus vulgaris 2.18%, Citrobcter cloacae with 1 .31%; Edwarsiella spp, Klebsiella aerogenes, Pseu-domona aeruginosa and Salmonella spp with 0.44% each, and Morganella morganii and Serratia Marcescens with 0.87%. ESBL production as a resistance mechanism pre-dominated in E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Conclusion: The main pathogen causing urinary tract infections in patients who attend the SER laboratory in the city of Loja is Escherichia coli, with a higher incidence in females in the old age group (60 or more years).