Urinary tract infection pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibilities in Kobe, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan: an international analysis

OBJECTIVE: This study compared urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens and antibiotic susceptibilities between Kobe, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan to investigate the regional resistance pattern of UTI-causative bacteria. METHODS: UTI-causative bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility for 4519 samples from Kobe University Hospital, Kobe and 25,131 samples from Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei from 2015 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed to compare the differences between these hospitals. RESULTS: Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen in both areas (30.0% in Kobe, 41.2% in Taipei). The prevalence of cephalosporin and gentamicin-resistant E. coli tended to be higher in Taipei than in Kobe. Additionally, antibiotic susceptibilities of Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa tended to be higher in Kobe than in Taipei. The ratio of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae was significantly higher in Taipei than in Kobe (up to 40% vs. 14.8%), but this was not observed for E. coli. CONCLUSION: Variations in the type of UTI-causative bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility between the two hospitals may be influenced by the use of different antibiotics. Further surveillance of resistance patterns is necessary for effective treatment.