Antimicrobial Resistance of E. coli Strains Isolated from Urine Cultures

ABSTRACT: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infectious diseases. This study retrospectively analyzed the antimicrobial resistance rates of E. coli strains isolated from urine culture samples sent to the Pamukkale University Health Research and Application Hospital between July 12, 2023, and July 12, 2024. A total of 1,844 urine culture samples were analyzed. Of the isolates, 68.54% were from female patients, and 31.46% were from male patients. The highest resistance in antibiotic susceptibility tests was observed against drugs such as ampicillin (67.22%), cefazolin (51.62%), and cefuroxime (48.09%). The lowest resistance rates were found against tigecycline (1.12%), ceftazidime-avibactam (1.28%), imipenem, and meropenem (2.28%). Particularly, higher resistance rates to antibiotics were noted in intensive care units, which could be related to the more frequent use of antibiotics in these units. Antibiotics such as tigecycline and ceftazidime-avibactam exhibited relatively low resistance rates in intensive care.