Abstract
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Abstract; Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections in the pediatrics population. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infections amongst febrile children below 10 years attending Mulago National Referral Hospital, and the susceptibility patterns of the isolated uropathogens to common antibiotics.; Methods: A cross-sectional study of febrile pediatric patients below 10 years from various ward of Mulago National Referral Hospital was conducted between January and May 2019. Biodata and midstream urine samples were collected from 160 children .The urine samples were cultured onto Blood Agar and Cystine Lactose Electrolyte Deficient (CLED) simultaneously. Growth was considered significant when a pure isolate had ≥ 10 5 CFU/mL. Susceptibility to 8 antibiotics was set using the modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique.; Results: Out of the 160 urine samples analyzed, 29(18.1%) had significant bacterial growth. The frequency of UTIs was significantly higher in girls 20(69.0%) than boys 9(31.0%). Escherichia coli was the most predominant microorganism (41.4%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.7%) and Staphylococcus aureus at (13.8%). Overall susceptibility tests exhibited a very high Antibiotic resistance of uropathogens to ampicillin (96.6%), cotrimoxazole (82.8%) and nalidixic-acid. Nitrofurantoin and imipenem showed the lowest resistances of 34.5% and 31.0% respectively. A total of 24(82.8%) isolates were multidrug resistant.; Conclusion: Bacteriuria is a highly prevalent condition amongst febrile children attending Mulago hospital, with Enterobacteriaceae being the most predominant uropathogens. Uropathogens were highly sensitive to nitrofurantoin and imipenem but with significant resistance to ampicillin and cotrimoxazole. This information can be useful in decision making during management of UTIs among children.