PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF COMMON URINARY BACTERIAL ISOLATES FROM OUT-PATIENTS IN MISRATA, LIBYA

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strainsisolated from urine specimen of out-patients with UTI in Misrata region, Libya.Method: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the results ofmicrobiological culture and sensitivity tests performed in Alnoor Medical Laboratory inMisurata city from the first of January 2021 to 31th of December 2021. Data wereprocessed and analyzed by IBM SPSS statistical version 25. A p value of less than 0.05was considered as statistically significant. Results: Three hundred (300) urine samplesof 300 UTI patients were positive for pathogenic bacteria. S. aureus was the predominateisolate, representing 49.33% of all bacterial isolates, followed by E. Coli (26.33%),Klebsiella Spp. (10.34%), Streptococcus Spp. (7.66%), Pseudomonas Spp. (2.66%),Proteus Spp. (2.34%), and Acinobacter Spp. (1.34%). The age of the patients has asignificant effect on the distribution of uropathogens, since E. coli was the predominantbacteria in patients younger than 18 years. The isolated bacteria were most susceptible toimipenem, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin. They were highly resistant to azithromycin,cefixime, and co-trimoxazole. Nitrofurantoin, ceftriaxone, and co-amoxiclav exhibitmodest activity against most uropathogens. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate thehigh resistance against commonly used antibiotics, and emphasis the necessity ofcontinuous evaluation of antibiogram of urinary isolates for proper use of antibiotics.