Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent among adolescent girls. Therefore, effective promotional campaigns are crucial for conveying accurate information. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and the antimicrobial profiling of the isolated uropathogens among 354 adolescent girls. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional research study design. We included a sample of 354 adolescent girls from four preparatory schools. Data was collected in two phases. The first phase used a structured interview questionnaire. The second phase included determining the prevalence of uropathogens among adolescent girls with symptomatic or asymptomatic bacteriuria. Phenotypic identification of isolated species and antimicrobial profiling to determine if there are multiple drug resistance (MDR) patterns. RESULTS: We observed that 28% of adolescent girls were infected with UTIs. The multiple drug resistance (MDR) uropathogens among isolated Gram-negative species were 31.8%. About 20.5% of Escherichia coli, 40% of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 30% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 50% of Proteus mirabilis, 100% of Acinetobacter baumannii, and 14.2% of Staphylococcus aureus were multiple drug resistance (MDR). Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) production among Gram-negative isolates was 18.1%, and they were 10.2% in E. coli, 20% in K. pneumoniae, 20% in P. aeruginosa, 50% in P. mirabilis, and 100% in A. baumannii. Among the Gram-positive isolates (29%), S. aureus isolates were Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There were significant effects with mother education, father occupation, and social class with p-values of < 0.001, 0.006, and 0.03. CONCLUSION: UTIs are a major health issue among adolescent girls, with a 28% prevalence. The drug resistance rate of Gram-negative isolates was high for ampicillin, as well as Gram-positive isolates; especially MRSA showed high resistance to penicillin. So, we recommend future continuous screening measures for UTIs among adolescent girls in community settings.