Annotations on Emerging Concerns About Antibiotic-Resistant Urinary Tract Infection.

Abstract

* Abbreviation: UTI — : urinary tract infection Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are 1 of the most common infections in human beings. They occur predominantly in female patients, but also in newborn boys because of tight foreskin and kidney anomalies, and elderly men because of prostate hypertrophy. Over the years, treatment with antibiotics has greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with UTIs. However, a consequence has been a shift in drug sensitivity from narrow- to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Because of increasing antibiotic resistance, drugs such as amoxicillin and ampicillin have become less useful for the treatment of UTIs in children, and the first-generation cephalosporins trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and amoxicillin-clavulanate are no longer the first-line treatment in many communities.1,2 Antibiotic resistance occurs through gene mutation and horizontal gene transfer.3 Some well-known causes of antibiotic resistance include inappropriate prescribing; suboptimal patient adherence with duration, dose, or the frequency of antibiotic administration; and extensive presence of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming. In many countries, antibiotics are available without a prescription and self-medication is common, which significantly augments antibiotic resistance in such populations. Increased use of antibiotics … Address correspondence to Tej K. Mattoo, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, 3901 Beaubien Blvd, Detroit, MI 48201. E-mail: tmattoo{at}med.wayne.edu