ASYMPTOMATIC BACTERIURIA AMONG DIABETICS ATTENDING KENYATTA-NATIONAL-HOSPITAL

Significant asymptomatic bacteriuria is an important cause of pyelonep hritis and gram negative septicaemia among certain predisposed individ uals, such as diabetics, We investigated the incidence of asymptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) among our diabetic patients and the t ype and antibacterial sensitivity patterns of the organisms causing th ese UTIs, One hundred and thirty five patients submitted midstream uri ne specimens for culture, Fifteen patients had positive cultures showi ng the incidence of asymptomatic UTI to be 11.1%, There were ten femal e and five male patients with UTI, The commonest organism isolated was Escherichia coli at 40%. Gram negative bacilli made up (66.7% of the isolates, Isolates were poorly sensitive to the regularly available an tibiotics - ampicillin (33% sensitive, cotrimoxazole (33% sensitive), Nitrofurantoin inhibited growth in 93% of the isolates, Other antimicr obials with over 80% sensitivity level included: gentamicin, ceftazidi me, augumentin, cefuroxime and norfloxacin, They are expensive or requ ire parenteral administration, The incidence of asymptomatic UTI is hi gh among diabetics and although the organisms isolated are those usual ly isolated in UTIs, they are not that sensitive to the commonly avail able and antibacterial agents.