The incidence and antimicrobial resistance of Gram-negative non-fermentative bacteria isolated over 1 year at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were investigated. A total of 499 of these microorganisms were collected and account for 16% of all Gram-negative bacteria isolated. The most common species were Pseudomonas aeruginosa 291 (56%), Acinetobacter baumannii 170 (34%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 35 (7%). 168 (34%) of these microorganisms were isolated from Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 147 (30%) from General Medicine, and 24 (25%) from Surgery wards. ICU was the main site of isolation of P. aeruginosa and S. maltophilia, while A. baumannii was more frequently isolated from medicine and surgery units. The vast majority of the isolates were resistant to many antibiotics tested. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of P. aeruginosa showed lowest resistance to imipenem (13%), amikacin (17%), and ciprofloxacin (18%). Imipenem was also the most active antimicrobial agent against A. baumannii (15%) resistance. S. maltophilia exhibited multi-drug resistance, and was susceptible only to sulfonamide (6%).

Midstream and catheter stream specimens of urine from inpatients and outpatients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were collected over a period of 12 months to determine prospectively the incidence of urinary tract infection, the predominant causative organisms, and their antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 575 of 9845 specimens (5.8%) showed significant bacteriuria. The overall prevalence of urinary tract infection was 12.1%, 7.4% in inpatients and 4.7% in outpatients. Infection was found more frequently in females than males (2:1). Four percent of the patients were catheterized at the time of the survey; 21% of catheterized patients and 6% of noncatheterized patients were infected. A knowledge of local organisms and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern is invaluable for the empirical treatment of urinary tract infection. Guidelines for the use of the urethral catheter, when introduced and followed, can reduce hospital-acquired urinary tract infection.AT Eltahawy, RMF Khalaf, Urinary Tract Infection at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia: Incidence, Microbiology, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility. 1988; 8(4): 261-266 MeSH KEYWORDS: Urinary tract infections, microbiology; Escherichia coli infections; Klebsiella infection URINARY TRACT INFECTION is a relatively common condition in both hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients, particularly females.1 Infections of the urinary tract are one important cause of bacteremia due to gram-negative microorganisms in Saudi Arabia 2 and other countries. [3][4][5] Early detection and eradication of bacteriuria and prevention of recurrence reduce the incidence of subsequent life-threatening consequences of persistent or repetitive urinary tract infection. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of urinary tract infection in both hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients, the predominant causative organisms, and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Materials and MethodsMidstream and catheter stream specimens of urine from inpatients and outpatients were collected over a period of 12 months from October 1985 through September 1986. Patients were given instructions in Arabic on how to wash and collect a midstream specimen of urine in a sterile universal container. Urine samples obtained from indwelling catheters were collected by aspiration from the tube after the tube was cleaned with alcohol pads and

Objective: To determine the resistance rate of the most commonly used antimicrobial agents amongst Helicobacter pylori isolates. Methods: The agar disk diffusion method (Kirby Bauer) was utilized to determine the susceptibility of 223 H. pylori strains isolated before treatment. Isolates were tested against metronidazole (5 µg), clarithromycin (15 µg), amoxycillin (10 µg), and tetracycline (30 µg). Results: The resistance rate was 80% for metronidazole and 4% for clarithromycin. Tetracycline and amoxycillin showed very low degree of resistance with 1 (0.4%) and 3 (1.3%) of the strains resistant to these antibiotics, respectively. Age, sex and ethnicity had a remarkable effect on the resistance rate. Conclusion: The results indicate that metronidazole and clarithromycin should not be used as the only antimicrobial agents in the treatment of H. pylori infection. Susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method is cost-effective in the screening of antimicrobial resistance against H. pylori.

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