UTIs are becoming more deadly, thanks to AMR

The spread of drug-resistant bacteria in the community is increasing the risk of death for common infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) — which affect around one in two women and one in 20 men in their lifetime. This is according to a new study led by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

The collaborative research project, involving QUT and the University of Queensland, analysed data from 21,268 patients across 134 Queensland hospitals who acquired their infections in the community. It found patients were almost two and a half times more likely to die from community acquired drug-resistant UTIs caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and more than three times more likely to die from community acquired drug-resistant blood stream infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae than those with drug-sensitive infections.

CSIRO research scientist Dr Teresa Wozniak said the high prevalence of UTIs makes them a major contributor to antibiotic use in Australia. Our study found patients who contracted drug-resistant UTIs in the community were more than twice as likely to die from the infection in hospital compared to those without resistant bacteria, Dr Wozniak said.