Abstract

We examined the prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility profile and extended spectrum β- lactamase (ESBL) production by transitory Escherichia coli among other bacteria in vagina of female patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection, using standard microbiological methods. One hundred and forty-four patients’ samples were collected, of which 123 isolates were recovered. The age of the patients ranged from 8 to 62 years, while the mean was 28.5. Twenty-nine isolates of E. coli (that is, 22.9% prevalence) was recovered, while other bacterial species and their frequencies of occurrence include Bacillus spp. (6.3%), Micrococcus spp. (2.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.5%), Streptococcus spp. (2.1%), Gardnerella spp. (20.8%),Lactobacillus spp. (62.5%), Escherichia vulneris (2.1%), Enterococcus spp. (4.2%), Arachniaspp (2.1%) and they exhibited resistance to various antibiotics. E. coli exhibited 22 to 78% resistance to ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, gentamycin, nitrofurantoin, colistin, tetracycline, nalidixic, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin. Twenty E. coli isolates showed ESBL production by phenotypic confirmatory test and were resistant to third generation oral and parenteral cephalosporins as treatment options. High concomitant recovery of E. coli along withGardnerella spp. (and Streptococcus spp.) among the divorcees and single parents showed that it might be sexually transmitted. The results also reiterate the relevance of nitrofurantoin in treatment of the genital bacterial infection. Therefore, it is imperative   to screen and confirm ESBL production by any organism that showed resistance to the second and third generation Cephalosporins in a routine diagnostic laboratory work, though sanitary prophylaxis is preferentially recommended to prevent the entrance of difficult to-treat ESBL producers.
 

Key words: Vagina, prevalence, antibiotic, resistance, extended spectrum b-lactamase,Escherichia coli.