Antimicrobial Resistance Trends in Urinary Tract Infections in 6 African Countries.

IMPORTANCE

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are major causes of urinary tract infections. While antibiotic resistance in these critical pathogens is a global concern, data from Africa remain sparse, cover short time frames, and aggregate multiple specimen types.

OBJECTIVE

To model antimicrobial resistance trends in urinary E coli and K pneumoniae isolates from 6 African countries between 2010 and 2022 and to project future resistance patterns.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND

PARTICIPANTS

Data for this retrospective cross-sectional study were obtained from Pasteur Network clinical laboratories located in the capital cities of 5 African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic [CAR], Madagascar, Morocco, and Senegal) and from 1 university hospital in Benin. Urine samples yielding E coli or K pneumoniae collected during routine clinical care were included. Data collection spanned 2008 to 2023, with a shared observation period from October 2014 to December 2021. Data were analyzed from March through December 2025.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was resistance in E coli and K pneumoniae urinary isolates, measured as nonsusceptibility to aminopenicillins (for E coli), fluoroquinolones, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, β-lactam and β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, aminoglycosides, and carbapenems. Resistance trends were analyzed using logistic regression with generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

A total of 44 367 urinary isolates (mean [SD] age of patients, 35.8 [30.2] years; 26 935 isolates from women among 42 839 samples with sex data [62.9%]) were included. Mean (SD) age ranged from 29.1 (30.5) years among patients with K pneumoniae-positive samples in Cameroon to 54.3 (23.4) years among patients with E coli-positive samples in Morocco. E coli-positive samples were more common in women, with the highest proportions in Madagascar (11 948 women among 16 137 patients [74.0%]) and CAR (1329 women among 1893 patients [70.2%]), whereas K pneumoniae positive samples showed no clear sex pattern. At study end, amoxicillin resistance in E coli exceeded 85% across sites (eg, 96.0% [95% CI, 93.5%-97.6%] in Morocco), and amoxicillin-clavulanate resistance surpassed 50% for E coli (eg, 84.9% [95% CI, 77.7%-90.1%] in Morocco) and K pneumoniae (eg, 96.1% [95% CI, 89.4%-98.7%] in Morocco) in most countries. E coli resistance to third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) and fluoroquinolones surpassed 35% at study end, with increasing trends in most countries (eg, 34.5% [95% CI, 27.3%-42.6%] to 59.8% [95% CI, 55.7%-63.8%] for cefotaxime in Benin and 32.4% [95% CI, 25.1%-40.7%] to 75.9% [95% CI, 72.4%-79.1%] for norfloxacin in Senegal). For K pneumoniae, resistance to 3GCs increased in Cameroon, Madagascar, CAR, and Senegal, exceeding 50% in most settings (eg, 50.7% [95% CI, 45.6%-55.9%] to 76.6% [95% CI, 71.7%-80.9%] for cefotaxime in Madagascar). Rates remained stable in Benin and Morocco. Fluoroquinolone resistance increased in Cameroon, Senegal, and CAR (eg, 38.5% [95% CI, 25.7%-53.0%] to 65.8% [95% CI, 58.8%-72.2%] for ciprofloxacin in Senegal); remained high in Benin and Morocco; and decreased in Madagascar but remained elevated (eg, 63.7% [95% CI, 58.7%-68.3%] to 59.9% [95% CI, 54.1%-65.4%] for norfloxacin). For both bacteria, carbapenem resistance remained less than 18% (eg, 17.2% [95% CI, 11.8%-24.3%] for K pneumoniae resistance to ertapenem in Senegal), but resistance to ertapenem reached 28.0% (95% CI, 25.7%-30.5%) for E coli and 27.8% (95% CI, 22.0%-34.5%] for K pneumoniae in Madagascar. Projections suggest that 3GC and carbapenem resistance could exceed 90% by 2050 in most countries (eg, 2037 [95% CI, 2032-2053] for E coli resistance to imipenem in Benin).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, elevated and increasing resistance levels were observed, underlining the urgent need for improved measures against antimicrobial resistance in Africa.