Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections particularly in females. UTIs can be classified by anatomic site of involver ient into lower and upper urinary tract infections. UTIs can also be divided into two major categories, uncomplicated and complicated. UTIs include a variety of clinical conditions such as urethritis, cystitis, pyelonephritis etc. The main symptoms of UTIs include urgency, increased frequency, pain on urination and a foul odor of urine. The microbial etiology of UTIs is reasonably consistent. E.coli remains the predominant uropathogen followed by S.saprophyticus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter, Proteus and Enterococcus species. Age of the patient, diabetes, catheterization, pregnancy, menopause, sexual intercourse, renal calculi, and tumors etc are the main predisposing factors for UTIs in women. For the diagnosis of UTI, the counting of number of bacteria and white blood cells in urine specimen has been accepted as a routine procedure. The bacterial count of >10' CFU/ml of clean voided, midstream urine specimen is considered as significant bacteriuria while clinically significant pyuria has been defined as >106 leucocytes per liter of urine. For the treatment of UTI, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, cephalosporins, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin are the most common antibiotics.
