Antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates from patients with urinary tract infections presenting to the emergency department.

PURPOSE: Escherichia coli urine isolates from patients presenting to the emergency department at a German tertiary care hospital were retrospectively analyzed from January 2015-March 2017 to determine antibiotic resistance patterns and patient risk factors for resistance. METHODS: Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) was defined as UTI in the otherwise healthy patient without relevant co-morbidities and complications. Patients were assumed to have UTI if diagnosis was made by the attending physician with conclusive dipstick results. For subgroup analysis, only patients with symptoms suggestive for UTI documented in their records were included. RESULTS: 228 patients with a UTI diagnosed by the attending physician with E. coli isolated in urine culture were included. 154/228 patients had documented symptomatic UTI, 57/154 had uncomplicated infection, 76/154 patients had cystitis, and 124/154 were female. Resistance rates of uncomplicated UTI in symptomatic patients were: ciprofloxacin 10.5%, cotrimoxazole 15.8%, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 5.3%, nitrofurantoin 0% (CLSI MICs). Previous hospitalization in the last 3 months (including patients living in a long-term care facility) was significantly correlated with resistance to ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole and amoxicillin/clav. Previous hospitalization was a strong predictor of resistance to ciprofloxacin and cotrimoxazole in multivariate analysis also. Other risk factors correlated with resistance were hematological malignancy (for cotrimoxazole) and renal transplantation (for ciprofloxacin). CONCLUSIONS: Cotrimoxazole is still an alternative for treating uncomplicated cystitis. Previous hospitalization in the last 3 months was a strong predictor of resistance to cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin. Other risk factors which might help guide empirical therapy are hematological malignancy and renal transplantation.

[Infections as a Cause of Unexplained Fever]. / Infektionen als Ursache für Fieber unklarer Genese.

Fever of unexplained (or unknown) origin (FUO) remains a relevant clinical problem even with modern diagnostic methods. In addition to the classical definition, new categories of FUO describe different clinical situations: nosocomial FUO, FUO in neutropenic/immundeficient patients and FUO in patients with HIV-infection. The new categories are defined by much shorter duration of fever, i. e. mostly three days. Each category of FUO shows a different spectrum of infectious diseases. Often, subacute bacterial endocarditis is very difficult to verify. In many cases, patients in intensive care suffer from FUO caused by reactivation of CMV. In patients with HIV the most important diagnostic indicator concerning the origin of infection is the degree of immundeficiency. Biological and nuclear medical (PET-CT) verification procedures have been established in diagnostics. A national or international register should be created with the purpose of data transfer and validation of strategies concerning the treatment of FUO.