Abstract:
Introduction: Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the most common cause of urinary tract infections such as cystitis and pyelonephritis. These multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae are producers of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) that are capable of hydrolyzing beta-lactams and non-beta-lactams. This laboratory-based study sought to establish the increase of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae in multi-drug resistant urinary tract infections and determine the effective antibiotic treatment options. Methods: One hundred and seventy five K. pneumoniae isolates obtained from urine cultures were randomly collected and the combined disc synergy method was used to determine the ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. The Vitek 2 system (bioMérieux, France) was used to perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 17 commonly used antibiotics. The data from the work was collated and statistically analysed using the chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Of the 175 K. pneumoniae responsible for urinary tract infections, 73.7% were producing ESBL suggesting that most urinary tract infections caused by K. pneumoniae will be multi-drug resistant. The antimicrobial resistance differences between ESBL-producing and non-ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae indicated a significance difference with p < 0.05. This study indicated that imipenem and amikacin are the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of multi-drug resistant urinary tract infections caused by ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. Cephalosporins and nitrofurantoin are suitable for the treatment of urinary tract infections due to non-ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. Conclusion: This study indicated that imipenem (carbapenem) and amikacin are the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of multi-drug resistant urinary tract infections caused by ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. The third and fourth generation cephalosporins and nitrofurantoin are suitable for the treatment of urinary tract infections due to non-ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. Rational use of antibiotics and evidence based antibiotic prescription will help to control the spread of resistance by ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. There is the need to intensify research in the use of natural products to treat multi-drug resistant urinary tract infections emanating from ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae
