Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common infections occurring in the community and hospitals. The treatment is usually empirical antibiotics like co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and nitrofurantoin. Nitrofurantoin and Fosfomycin are preferred oral antibiotics in many guidelines. Provisional antibiotic usage drives antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Asia Pacific region (Southeast Asian countries and western pacific countries) are considered a hotspot for the AMR spread. 

In the Asia Pacific region, the resistance to ciprofloxacin and co-trimoxazole is very high (6.3%-79.6% and 20.4%-73.9% respectively). India has reported a prevalence of 64.2%-73.9% resistance to co-trimoxazole and 75.1% to Ceftriaxone and Cefotaxime. India is among the countries reporting high resistance rates to ciprofloxacin as well. 

What do these numbers mean? The commonly used antibiotics to treat UTIs are increasingly becoming ineffective in the Asia Pacific region, especially in India. As a result, the main treatment option that remains is Fosfomycin, which is not always accessible for patients. We have no treatment options in hand for the most common infection- UTI. 

To read more, please visit the website of JAC- Antimicrobial Resistance journal (link).