Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli Strains in Sonipat Region of Haryana in India

Background: To study the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains in Sonipat region of Haryana in India. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most widespread infections, caused most frequently by Escherichia coli. The past few years have witnessed a rapid rise in the spread of high antibiotic-resistant forms of these uropathogenic E. coli (UPECs). Methods: In the current study, a total of 53 UPEC isolates from patients of all age groups were collected from Sonipat and its adjoining areas from September 2017 to April 2018. All the uropathogens were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility profiling using a set of 23 antibiotics and confirmed using standard microbiological procedures. The isolates which exhibited high degree of multidrug resistance (MDR) were characterized at molecular level using 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: The evaluation of age- and gender-wise prevalence of UTI revealed that women (77.3%) were more susceptible to infection as compared to men (22.6%). It was observed that 83% of the collected UPEC isolates exhibited MDR pattern. The isolates exhibited maximum resistance to cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones; and the highest susceptibility (100%) was shown toward tigecycline, followed by 96.2% to colistin, 90.5% to amikacin, 86.7% to fosfomycin, and 84.9% to nitrofurantoin. Conclusion: The study concludes that the prevalence of MDR pathogens is high in studied region. For empirical antibiotic therapy, amikacin, fosfomycin, and nitrofurantoin should be preferred; and for MDR uropathogens, colistin, and tigecycline should be recommended.