Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of urinary tract infections (UTI) pathogens poses a significant challenge to the effective treatment of this condition. This study aimed to conduct a retrospective study to analyze the etiology and antibiotic resistance patterns of common urinary tract pathogens in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. METHODS: The study employed a standardized data collection form to extract information on age, sex, urine culture results, antibiotic susceptibility test results, and antibiotic treatment regimens from 2020 to 2023. RESULTS: The primary agent responsible for UTIs was Escherichia coli, identified in 47.8% of cases, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae at 15.8%, Staphylococcus aureus at 9.2%, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 6.5%. Candida species were detected in 12% of cases, while coagulase-negative Staphylococci constituted 3.8%. Proteus and Providencia species were observed in 1.1% and 0.5%, respectively. E. coli exhibited complete resistance (100%) to Nalidixic acid (NAL) and Ofloxacin (OFL), with varying degrees of resistance observed across other antibiotics. Among the 29 isolates of K. pneumoniae, 90.0% showed resistance against Cefotaxime, 81.3% against Ciprofloxacin, and 80% against Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole. Sixty percent of E. coli isolates and 25% of Klebsiella isolates demonstrated multi-drug resistance and ESBL production. CONCLUSION: The surge in multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative isolates presents a significant healthcare hurdle for UTI patients. A noteworthy portion of prevalent pathogens, resistant to NAL and OFL, falls into the category of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas spp. The limited availability of effective treatments for MDR gram-negative isolates underscores the urgent need for innovative therapeutic alternatives.