ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PATTERN OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES ASSOCIATED WITH ASYMPTOMATIC URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN WUKARI METROPOLIS, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Urinary tract infection is a significant disease in females due to their anatomical peculiarities. The study hence aimed to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI) among sexually active undergraduate students within Wukari metropolis, Taraba State. One hundred and fifty urine specimens were collected and cultured aerobically. Bacterial colony count was carried out to determine UTI-positive and UTI-negative specimens. Bacterial identification was carried out using standard biochemical characterization of the isolates. Antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates was determined using the modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and comparing observed inhibition zone diameters with standards. Of the 150 urine specimens collected, only 100 (66.67%) yielded significant bacteriuria and were hence considered asymptomatic UTI. Escherichia coli (41%) was the most prevalent bacterial uropathogen, followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (22%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4%), and Proteus mirabilis (3%). All the bacterial isolates were resistant to at least three (3) of the tested antibiotics. S. saprophyticus and S. aureus were most resistant to Amoxicillin and Chloramphenicol, although S. saprophyticus was significantly more resistant than S. aureus. E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and P. mirabilis were most resistant to Amoxicillin, Imipenem, and Ceftazidime, although E. coli was significantly more resistant that other Gram-negative bacterial isolates. High prevalence of asymptomatic UTI among undergraduate students in Wukari metropolis is of public health importance, and increasing antibiotic resistance rates do not help this challenge.