Streptococcus agalactiae-associated Urinary Tract Infections amongst Male Patients at a Tertiary Care Setting in Southwest India

The occurrence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by the group B Streptococcus (GBS) in females is well documented. On the contrary, the prevalence amongst males is infrequent, and studies from the Indian subcontinent are limited. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of GBS bacteriuria and its antibiotic susceptibility profile amongst male patients.

Clean-catch, midstream, catheterized, or voided urine samples from patients were used for the study. Urinary samples from patients either admitted or attended to a tertiary care center in Southwest India were promptly sent to the laboratory for culture, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility test.

A total of 16,190 urine specimens were processed during the 1-year study period, of which 45 patients (0.27%), including 30 females (0.19%) and 15 males (0.09%), had GBS bacteriuria. The patients were mainly in the 19-45 years old group (53%). The most typical comorbidity was type 2 diabetes mellitus (42%). The majority of the GBS isolates from male patients (>80%) were susceptible to benzylpenicillin, ceftriaxone, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole. The isolates showed the least susceptibility to tetracycline (26.1%) 

Though GBS-associated UTI amongst male patients is uncommon, antimicrobial resistance amongst S. agalactiae isolates is widespread. Nevertheless, antimicrobial resistance rates differ depending on the geographical areas and study duration. Considering the emergence of drug resistance in GBS, culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing patterns of all the strains of GBS, even in asymptomatic patients with a low count, are recommended.