antibiotic sensitivity of escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infection referred to kermanshah central laboratory

background: escherichia coli (ecoli) has been considered as the most common agent of urinary tract infection in all regions. recently, increased drug resistance has been lead to some problems in treatment related diseases. so, evaluation of resistance patterns of bacteria in each region could be a valuable guide for empirical treatment. methods: all referred urine sample to kermanshah central laboratory during 1998 that was reported positive to ecoli were assessed. susceptibility pattern to 19 antimicrobial agents was evaluated using kirby bauer method according to clsi standards. results: a total of 834 ecoli isolated from 19,208 positive urine cultures. 84% of subjects were females and 16% males.  sensitivity rate for nitrofurantoin (84%), ceftizoxime (72%), norfloxacin (70%), cefotaxime (69%), amikacin (66%), ciprofloxacin (65%), ceftriaxone (64%), ceftazidim (55%) was higher than 50%. sensitivity to nalidixic acid, cefexime, gentamicin, co-trimoxazole, ticarcillin, caphalexin, cephalotin, tetracycline, amoxicillin, amoxicillin clavulanate and ampicillin were determined less than 50%. conclusion: nitrofurantoin and ceftizoxime are currently effective against ecoli, although an indiscriminate use of antibiotics should be avoided because of drug resistance probable. it seems that ampicillin could be excluded from routine sensitivity testing.