{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T14:23:43Z","timestamp":1787235823639,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,30]],"date-time":"2025-11-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764460800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Urinary tract infections are among the most common infections affecting the general population. Their high incidence, as well as frequent antimicrobial use, contribute significantly to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).\nObjective:\u00a0To determine the profile and prevalence of uropathogens isolated from urine specimens at a regional hospital and assess susceptibility patterns to commonly used antimicrobials recommended by the National Essential Medicines List (NEML).\nMethods:\u00a0This was a retrospective evaluation of laboratory reports for all urine specimens submitted between 01 January 2020 and 31 December 2023.\nResults:\u00a0The most frequently cultured organisms were\u00a0Escherichia coli\u00a0(n\u00a0= 1481; 42%);\u00a0Klebsiella pneumoniae\u00a0(n\u00a0= 568; 16%);\u00a0Enterococcus faecalis\u00a0(n\u00a0= 249; 7%);\u00a0Proteus mirabilis\u00a0(n\u00a0= 229; 7%),\u00a0Enterobacter cloacae\u00a0(n\u00a0= 137; 4%), and\u00a0Candida albicans\u00a0(n\u00a0= 119; 3%).\u00a0Escherichia coli\u00a0maintained high sensitivity to antimicrobials such as nitrofurantoin (92.2%) and gentamicin (90.6%), whilst\u00a0K. pneumoniae\u00a0had decreased sensitivities of 40% and 77%, respectively. Cumulative sensitivities of commonly used first-line antimicrobials showed low rates of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (77%), nitrofurantoin (67%), and amoxicillin\/clavulanate (68.7%).\nConclusion:\u00a0Escherichia coli\u00a0was the most commonly identified isolate and remains sensitive to nitrofurantoin. It was, however, resistant to ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin\/clavulanate, and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, as were all the other Gram-negative organisms. These sensitivity patterns do not align with the antimicrobials recommended in the current NEML guidelines, and highlight the need for targeted therapy and interventions.\nWhat this study adds:\u00a0This retrospective analysis identifies predominant uropathogens\u2019 updated antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, some of which misalign with NEML guidelines. Insights will guide targeted antimicrobial stewardship, empiric therapy, and local surveillance to curb AMR.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/ajlm.v14i1.2845","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,27]],"date-time":"2025-11-27T13:33:44Z","timestamp":1764250424000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A retrospective analysis of uropathogens isolated and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns at a regional hospital in North West province, South Africa"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0242-4582","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Teixeira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ampath Allergy Clinic"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-6091-051X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vian","family":"Pretorius","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02g48bh60","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4392-9066","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Hunt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klerksdorp-Tshepong Complex Academic Hospital"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-4323-2154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanam","family":"Morar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00g0p6g84","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Pretoria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5048-8399","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jamie","family":"Colloty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tshwane Academic Division"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5000-7066","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caleb","family":"Radebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Potchefstroom Hospital"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0253-6928","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rajen","family":"Morar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03rp50x72","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Witwatersrand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zeng Z, Zhan J, Zhang K, Chen H, Cheng S. 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