Objective: To determine the basic sensitivity of Escherichia coli in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, to antimicrobial agents used by general practitioners to treat urinary tract infections.
Design: Inventory.
Method: Fifty general practitioners in the province were asked in 1999 to have faeces submitted by patients who had not been using antibiotics for at least one month. E. coli was isolated from the faeces using an elective medium. The proportions of resistance were compared with those of strains isolated in urine sent for examination to Friesland Public Health Laboratory by a clinic, outpatient department, general practice or nursing home.
Results: The sensitivities were tested of 240 strains from 240 healthy subjects (73 males and 167 females; mean age 47 years (range 0-84)). The proportions of strains resistant to the agents tested were as follows: nitrofurantoin: 0.8%, trimethoprim: 10%, co-trimoxazole: 10%, amoxicillin: 15%, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 0.4%. Forty-eight per cent of the strains showed intermediate susceptibility to amoxicillin, 63% to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. The resistance was lower than in isolates submitted for examination from general and specialist practices.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial agents mentioned are still useful for treatment of urinary tract infections in the general practice.