ONE in three urinary tract infection samples showed resistance to the antibiotic trimethoprim in a recent analysis.
More than one million UTI samples were analysed in NHS laboratories across England in 2016 as part of the English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) report and antimicrobial resistance was found to be common.
Resistance to trimethoprim was found in 34 per cent of the samples analysed compared to 29.1 per cent in 2015.
Trimethoprim was once the first choice treatment for UTIs before Public Health England (PHE) recommended switching to a different antibiotic called nitrofurantoin. The ESPAUR report found that only 3 per cent of the UTI samples showed resistance to nitrofurantoin.
NICE recently launched a suite of new guidelines – Management of Common Infections (MoCI) – providing evidence-based advice on how common infections can be managed with the purpose of tackling antibiotic resistance. UTIs are one of the common infections the NICE MoCI committee has pledged to look into.
Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at NICE said: "Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest dangers to our health, which is why we must all work together to fight it.
"Making sure that we use these medicines properly, only when they are really needed, is vital. And our guidance is here to help healthcare professionals navigate these sometimes difficult decisions."
This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.
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