Catheter Associated Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary catheters are placed in up to 25% of hospitalizedpatients and are a leading cause of hospital-acquired infection.Six hundred urine samples throughout 5 months were collectedfrom Al-Kasr Al-Aini hospital. 450 samples were from catheterizedpatients for at least 72 hours before taking the sampleand 150 samples were from non-catheterized patients andwere studied by identification of the isolated pathogens. Theaim of this study was to evaluate the role of catheterizationin nosocomial urinary tract infection. The study revealedsignificant statistical difference p value 0.05 between catheterizedand non-catheterized patints as regarding positivecultures, out of 450 catheterized patients 83% had positiveculture results while out of 150 non-catheterized patients only67% had positive culture results. Age and sex were found tobe two main factors in the development of catheter associatedUTI. Also results of this study revealed that E.Coli was themost commonly isolated organism in both catheterized andnon catheterized patients (35%) and (50%) resprctively.Forty nine (13%) Candida isolates were isolated out of375 positive culture from urine samples of catherized patientsand only 1 Candida isolate (1%) out of 100 positive culturesfrom non catheterized.Isolated Candida species were identified by germ tubeand subculture on CHROM and Biggy agar. Twenty two strains(44%) were identified as Candida-albicans on the basis ofpositive germ tube test while 28 strains (56%) were diagnosedas Candida non-albicans with germ tube test negative. In thisstudy we found the sensitivity and the specificity of CHROMagar to identify isolated Candida species were 100% whilethe sensitivity and the specificity of Biggy agar were (86%)and (90%) respectivily.