High genetic diversity of nitrofurantoin- or mecillinam-resistant Escherichia coli indicates low propensity for clonal spread

• The empirical treatment with trimethoprim or ciprofloxacin of urinary tract infections (UTIs) is now questioned, partly due to the global expansion of a few resistant clonal groups of Escherichia coli. In this study we investigated the clonal structure of 34 strains of E. coli (collected from non-pregnant women aged 1865 years with uncomplicated UTIs in Europe and Canada) resistant to either of two other common treatment alternatives for uncomplicated UTIs, mecillinam or nitrofurantoin, using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The 34 isolates were, despite high levels of multiresistance, distributed all over the E. coli genetic diversity spectrum with little association of antibiotic resistance to specific clonal groups. The results of this study indicate a low probability of a future clonal spread of resistance to mecillinam and nitrofurantoin.

Nyckelord

uncomplicated urinary tract infections

successful clones

antimicrobial resistance

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)