Bacterial Profile and Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Urinary Tract Infection among Children in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among children, and bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics is a growing concern. In this study, we aimed to identify the bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of UTI among children in Sri Lanka. A total of 214 urine samples were collected from children aged 1 month to 12 years with symptoms of UTI. The samples were processed for bacterial isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Escherichia coli was the most common organism isolated (70.6%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.6%), Proteus mirabilis (7.9%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.6%). The highest resistance rates were observed against ampicillin (87.9%), followed by cotrimoxazole (71.8%) and cefotaxime (40.2%). Nitrofurantoin showed the highest susceptibility (91.6%) followed by amikacin (84.6%). Our findings suggest that E. coli is the predominant organism causing UTI among children in Sri Lanka, and there is a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance among the isolates. Nitrofurantoin and amikacin could be potential choices for empirical therapy in this setting. Continuous monitoring of antibiotic resistance patterns is necessary to guide empirical treatment and control the spread of resistant organisms.