Epidemiological and microbiological profile of the first urinary tract infection episode in a pediatric population

Perfil epidemiológico y microbiológico de la primera infección urinaria en una población pediátrica

Introduction: urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second cause of bacterial infection in children, generates high costs for the health system, may be the first manifestation of urinary tract anomalies and is a risk factor for multiple pathologies. Objective: to characterize the epidemiological and microbiological profile of the first UTI episode in the pediatric population of a referral center in Pereira, Colombia. Methods: a cross-sectional study, conducted during 2016- 2017, including patients aged 2 months to 10 years, with their first UTI episode, based on the American Academy of Pediatrics criteria. Bacterial resistance was defined using current CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) guidelines. Descriptive statistics and STROBE guidelines were used for reporting this study results. Results: 81 patients were included, 28% were males, most were aged 2 to 12 months (40%), 49% were nitrite-positive, 39% had hematuria and 37% proteinuria, and 87% had a positive Gram stain. Ultrasound imaging revealed urinary tract anomalies in 18%; the most common uropathogens were: Escherichia coli (86%), Proteus mirabilis (5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (5%). E. coli showed resistance for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin-sulbactam and cephalothin in 51.4%, 32.8% and 17.1%, respectively; 2.8% were extended-spectrum betalactamase/ESBL-positive. The median time of empiric management was 3 days and full treatment was of 10 days. Discussion: high resistance rates were recorded for ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, which discourage their use. The sensitivity of E coli to cephalothin and amikacin, reported in this study, favors their use as first empirical therapeutic choices in our setting. Conclusion: ultrasound examination of the urinary tract is recommended in patients experiencing their first febrile UTI episode, due to the high prevalence of urinary anomalies identified.

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