Clinical relevance of laboratory-reported antibiotic resistance in acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection in primary care

Objectives: To determine whether patients with an uncomplicated community-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI) and an isolate resistant to trimethoprim had worse clinical outcomes following empirical treatment with trimethoprim 200 mg twice daily for 3 days than did those with a susceptible isolate.

Patients and methods: This was a prospective cohort study of clinical outcome. We enrolled 497 women (>= 18-70 years) presenting to general practitioner surgeries in Norwich and Gloucester with at least two symptoms of acute (< 7 days) uncomplicated UTI. Significant bacteriuria was defined as >= 10(4) cfu/mL from a mid-stream urine (MSU).

Results: Of enrolled patients 75% (334/448) had significant bacteriuria, and trimethoprim resistance was present in 13.9% (44/317) of isolates. Patients with resistant isolates had a longer median time to symptom resolution (7 versus 4 days, P=0.0002), greater reconsultation to the practice (39% versus 6% in first week, P < 0.0001), more subsequent antibiotics (36% versus 4% in first week, P < 0.0001) and higher rates of significant bacteriuria at 1 month (42% versus 20% with susceptible isolate, P=0.04). Half of patients reconsulting in the first week had a resistant organism.

Conclusions: Patients with uncomplicated UTI caused by trimethoprim-resistant organisms had significantly worse clinical outcomes than those with trimethoprim-susceptible organisms. Nevertheless, trimethoprim resistance was rarer than predicted from routine laboratory submissions and we calculate that 23 women require microbiological investigation to prevent one reconsultation arising from resistance-based treatment failure. We therefore suggest empirical antibiotic treatment in acute, uncomplicated UT's. If patients reconsult in the first week, we suggest a change of antibiotic treatment with urine culture and susceptibility testing then done. More generally, laboratory resources should concentrate on resistance surveillance to inform empirical antibiotic choice.