Assessment of Bacterial Uropathogens and their Antibiotic Susceptibility in Rural Healthcare Facilities, Jamalpur, Bangladesh

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in Bangladesh and increasingly complicated by antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to identify uropathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in patients at a tertiary care center in Jamalpur. A six-month cross-sectional study analyzed 282 urine samples from suspected UTI cases. Bacterial identification followed standard microbiological methods, and antibiotic sensitivity was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method per CLSI guidelines. Out of 282 urine samples, 54 (19.1%) showed significant bacterial growth, while 228 (80.9%) had no significant growth. Gram-negative bacteria comprised 83.4% of the isolates, with Escherichia coli (66.7%) being the most prevalent, followed by Klebsiella spp. (11.1%), Pseudomonas spp., (3.7%), and Acinetobacter spp. (1.9%). Among Gram-positive organisms, Enterococcus faecalis (9.3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (5.6%) were predominant. Females accounted for 74.1% of positive cases, with the highest prevalence in patients over 49 years of age. High resistance was observed to commonly used antibiotics such as ceftriaxone (81.5%) and chloramphenicol (94.4%), whereas meropenem (96.3%) and netilmicin (85.2%) showed the highest sensitivity.