Neonatal Urinary Tract Infection in a Tertiary Care Center in Amman, Jordan

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of neonatal urinary tract infection (UTI), demographics, and clinical characteristics in a single referral tertiary neonatal intensive care unit.

The medical records of 118 neonates diagnosed with neonatal UTI were reviewed over a 7-year period.

The prevalence of neonatal UTI was 1.5%. The male to female ratio was 1.6:1. In this study, 61% of the neonates were preterm babies. The mean age of diagnosis was 19.55±19.5 days. Pyuria was observed in 20% of the cases, and Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen. Hospital-acquired UTI was observed in 76% of the cases, and community-acquired UTI was noticed in 24% of the subjects. Prolonged jaundice was the most common presenting symptom of UTI followed by sepsis. An abnormal ultrasound was found in 29% of the neonates with hydronephrosis as the most associated anomaly. There was a high rate of extended spectrum-beta lactamase organisms and a high rate of antimicrobial resistance.

The occurrence of neonatal UTI was rare in the study population. In addition, hydronephrosis was the most common anomaly. Proper antibiotic stewardship is needed to halt the increasing antimicrobial resistance of uropathogens.