Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children are among the most serious bacterial infections. Inadequate treatment can lead to kidney scarring and permanent kidney damage. Eight to ten percent of children with UTIs could have concomitant bacteremia. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of UTI-associated bacteremia and identify common organisms causing UTIs and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns to help guide empiric antimicrobial therapy. METHODS: The current study was conducted over a 6-month period on children admitted with febrile UTIs at Alexandria University Children's Hospital. Blood and urine samples were collected for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility. RESULTS: A total of 103 children with a median age of 12 months (IQR 6.0-24.0) were included in the study. Concomitant bacteremia was present in 63.1% (n=65). The median temperature of 38.40°C (IQR 38.15-38.60) and the median creatinine level of 0.18 mg/dL (IQR 0.14-0.25) were significantly higher in the bacteremic group compared to the non-bacteremic group (p=0.005, p=0.034, respectively). E. coli (n=51; 49.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=30; 29.1%) were the most common isolated organisms. Most (n=68; 66%) of the isolated organisms were multidrug-resistant (MDR), followed by extensively drug-resistant (XDR) (n=16; 15.5%), and pan-drug-resistant (PDR) organisms (n=1; 1%). E. coli showed lower resistance to gentamicin and ceftriaxone (9.8 % and 13.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: E. coli remains the most important UTI pathogen. Ceftriaxone and gentamicin are good empiric options for febrile UTIs in our hospital.