Prevalence of Drug-Resistant Strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Women with Urinary Tract Infections in Karbala City, Iraq

URINARY tract infections (UTIs) are becoming more common among women worldwide and it usually caused by bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. This study identifies the prevalence of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli that have been isolated from women with UTIs. It also identifies an effective antibiotic to use in the treatment of UTI infections. Bacterial strains were identified and recognized by standard laboratory protocols and tested to antibiotic susceptibility test for 11 antibiotics using standard disk diffusion technique. 63(42%) E. coli, and 30(20%) K. pneumoniae clinical strains were isolated from 150 women with "UTIs" over a period of seven months. The antibiotic sensitivity assays showed that all strains exhibited high resistance rate against Beta-lactam (Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid), and cephalosporin's antibiotics in all strains which were 95.2% for Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid , and from 71.4 to 90.5% to cephalosporin's antibiotics for E. coli, but 100%, and 90 to 100% relatively for K. pneumoniae. However, the antimicrobial agent imipenem was found to retain their antimicrobial properties against both bacteria, which were 100 and 90% respectively. Also nitrofurantoin exhibited activity only against E. coli strains. Out of 93 uropathogens 45(71.42%), and 27(90%) of E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains were found to be MDR respectively. Our study demonstrates that a significant frequency of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae and, E. coli . In addition, Imipenem was appropriate drug to treat infections caused by these uropathogens. These findings may aid physicians in the management of UTI infections.