A one-year prospective study on the antibiotic resistance of E. coli strains isolated in urinary specimens of children hospitalized at the University Pediatric Medical Center in Novi Sad, Serbia

Purpose Urinary tract infections (UTIs), the most common serious bacterial infections in children, are frequently caused by Escherichia coli . The purpose of this study was to investigate E. coli resistance/multidrug resistance to antibiotics most frequently used for UTIs. Methods Children 0–18 years of age, hospitalized at the University Pediatric Hospital in Novi Sad, Serbia, were included in a 1-year observational prospective study. The microbiological analysis was performed using the standard Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. The results were analyzed using WHONET 5.4 software. Results E. coli was isolated from 61.7 % of positive urine specimens. In general, higher average E. coli antibiotic resistance was found in infants and toddlers compared to children and adolescents (33.4 vs. 25.0 %) ( p 75.0 %), and penems (>96.6 %). The prevalence of multiresistant E. coli strains was significantly higher in infants and toddlers (72.3 vs. 36.8 %) ( p