Bacteriology of Urine Specimens Obtained from Men with Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

BACKGROUND: Bacteriuria and urinary tract infections are common sequelae of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Thus, the knowledge of urine bacteriology in men with symptomatic BPH in our environment may play a complementary role in management. OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of bacteriuria and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of bacterial isolates in cultured urine samples of men with symptomatic BPH. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a 1 year prospective study. All patients who presented with lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH and who met the inclusion criteria were studied. Urine samples were obtained from the patients for microscopy, culture, and sensitivity following standard protocol. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients were studied. The age range was 53–80 years with a mean of 65.5 ± 7.8 years. Bacterial isolates were noted in 42 (44.7%) patients. Six of these had two different species of bacterial organisms isolated. Escherichia coli noted in 20 (47.6%) specimens was the most common organism isolated while the least common, Providencia species, was noted in 1 (2.4%). The bacterial isolates were mostly sensitive to imipenem, meropenem, and nitrofurantoin, but showed greater resistance to cefuroxime, gentamicin, and ofloxacin. There was no significant difference between the means for age (P = 0.80), duration of symptoms (P = 0.09), and prostate size (P = 0.52) in the patients with and those without bacteriuria. CONCLUSION: Bacteriuria is a common finding in patients with symptomatic BPH in our setting. The bacterial isolates showed high level of resistance to oral cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. There is a need to update guidelines in empiric use of antibiotics in this group of patients.