Urinary tract infection in severely malnourished children at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

One hundred and ninety-four children with severe protein energy malnutrition were investigated for urinary tract infection in this prospective study. The prevalence of urinary tract infection was found to be 11.3 per cent. There was no difference either between the sexes or the different categories of malnutrition. The commonest isolates were Gram-negative organisms predominantly Escherichia coli. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the organisms in this study differs from other reports. In this study, we observed poor sensitivities of organisms especially the Gram negatives to the second and third generation cephalosporins. We therefore conclude that regular surveillance of urinary tract infection pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns should be carried out.