Prevalence, Phenotypic Characterization and Antibiogram of Uro-pathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in Patients attending a Tertiary Hospital in Katsina Metropolis

Study’s Excerpt Investigation of the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of uro-pathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) among patients at General Hospital Katsina was carried out. The results revealed a 13.33% prevalence rate and significant multidrug resistance (MDR) among 65% of UPEC isolates. Correlations between age, gender, occupation, and multidrug resistance, with notable resistance to common antibiotics were identified so as to give insights into the management of UPEC-related infections in the region. Full Abstract This study examines the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of uro-pathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) among 150 patients at General Hospital Katsina (GHK). The urine samples were cultured on CLED and subsequently sub-cultured on EMB using standard protocols to obtain pure colonies. Gram stain, biochemical, and antibiotic susceptibility tests were carried out on the UPEC isolates using standard methods. Of the 150 urine samples analyzed, 69(46%) yielded growth, with 20(13.33%) UPEC prevalence at GHK. Chi-square revealed a higher UTIs prevalence of (48.89%: X2=24.00) based on age observed in the 31-40 years group. Based on gender, females have a higher UTIs prevalence of (60%: X2=2.00) than males (40%: X2=2.00). Business-inclined individuals showed UTIs prevalence (39.13%: X2= 20.0) higher than other occupations. Remarkable UPEC resistance was observed with AMP, CAZ, CRX, and ERY. UPEC showed high susceptibility to Nitrofurantoin and Imipenem, but 65% of isolates were multidrug resistant. Multiple drug resistant indices (MARI) ranged from 0.3 to 0.9, indicating the existence of high multidrug resistance UPEC in the study population. Pearson correlation indicated a positive correlation between age (r=0.44) and gender (r= 0.797) in relation to multidrug antibiotic resistance. Routine surveillance is recommended.