Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of urinary isolates from samples collected in the community

Urinary tract infections comprise around 1% of the 300 million general practice consultations annually in the UK; most of these are acute uncomplicated UTIs (AUUTIs) in women of childbearing age. AUUTIs affect around 50% of women during their lifetime and, by 24 years of age, one-third of women have had a UTI. Although AUUTIs generally resolve without complications, they result in significant morbidity and the goal of treatment is to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms. For most non-pregnant women with AUUTIs, the decision to start treatment is based on a combination of characteristic symptoms, without the need for urine testing. Current national guidelines advise empiric treatment with 3 days of either nitrofurantoin or trimethoprim as resistance to these oral antibiotics is reported to remain low. This low rate of resistance is in contrast to other oral antibiotics. The aim of this proposal is to examine whether there has been a change in (i) the bacterial species and (ii) the antimicrobial sensitivities of bacteria isolated from urine samples submitted from Primary Care over the past 2 decades in Oxfordshire. This data would guide the choice of antimicrobial in a proposal to improve the management of AUUTIs in women.