Epidemiology of urinary tract infection in south India

Abstract

Urinary tract infection is one of the infectious diseases affecting both genders. The causative microbial pathogens invade the urinary tract tissues extending from the renal cortex to the urethral meatus. The prevalence of drug resistant microbes in urinary tract infected cases is a major problem to solve. With this background the epidemiology of urinary tract infection among the population of Kanyakumari District, South India was studied. For the present study medical practitioners suspected cases visiting for clinical evaluation in a major clinical laboratory were chosen as samples. In a period of 6 months observation a total of 1824 cases were subjected to various clinical analysis. Among them 1029 were females and 795 were males. A clinical examination of the suspected cases showed culture positive in the samples taken from males (37.23%) and females (37.99%). The age wise study of the culture positive cases indicates that the UTI infection occurs from infants (1 month) to elderly people (90-100 years). In the study area the percentage of UTI is common in women in the reproductive age and post-menopausal stage. Diabetic mellitus prevalent in post-menopausal women has a link with UTI incidence. In the elderly aged male's diabetes and prostrate problem enhances UTI. The pregnant women and newly married women in the age group 21-30 are more prone to UTI. The present study also reports pediatric UTI in both genders. Lifestyle changes, poor personal hygiene, nutritive problem, catheter use, unclean baby napkins and immune deficiency were identified to be the factors favoring UTI in the study area. An analysis of UTI positive culture showed the presence of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphyllococcus saprophyticus, Margonella margonii, Streptococcus sp, Staphyllococcus aureus, Enterococcus sp, Proteus vulgaris, Chromobacterium violaceum, Serratia spp and the fungi Candida sp.