Controversies in single dose therapy of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women

Comparison of single-dose fosfomycin and a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin in female patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection

This multicenter clinical trial compared single-dose fosfomycin tromethamine with a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin for the treatment of acute uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (UTI) in female patients. Healthy females with symptoms of acute uncomplicated UTI were enrolled in a double-masked, randomized clinical trial. Assessable patients had >10(5) colony-forming units per milliliter of a uropathogen in a clean-voided midstream urine sample. Patients received a single 3-g dose of fosfomycin tromethamine plus 7 days of placebo capsules or a single 3-g dose of placebo plus 7 days of nitrofurantoin monohydrate/macrocrystal 100-mg capsules. Treatment efficacy was assessed by both bacteriologic and clinical response 5 to 11 days after the initial treatment dose (visit 2) and 5 to 11 days (visit 3) and 4 to 6 weeks (visit 4) after the last day of medication. Of the 749 patients initially enrolled in the study, 375 received fosfomycin and 374 received nitrofurantoin. There were no clinical differences in patient characteristics between the 2 groups at study entry. Overall, 94% of pretreatment isolates were susceptible to fosfomycin and 83% were susceptible to nitrofurantoin. Bacteriologic cure rates at the first follow-up visit (5 to 11 days after initiation of treatment) were 78% and 86% for fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin, respectively (P = 0.02). At visit 3 (1 week posttreatment), they were 87% and 81% for fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin, respectively (P = 0.17). Both treatment groups had an 80% overall clinical success rate (cure and improvement). Twenty patients (5.3%) who received fosfomycin and 21 patients (5.6%) who received nitrofurantoin reported an adverse effect related to study medication. The most common side effects related to fosfomycin treatment were diarrhea (2.4%), vaginitis (1.8%), and nausea (0.8%). Both bacteriologic and clinical cure rates observed with a single 3-g dose of fosfomycin were comparable to those achieved with a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin in female patients with acute uncomplicated UTI.

Management of complicated urinary tract infection in older patients

Urinary tract infection (UTI) in older persons is a common medical problem that is seen in both the ambulatory and institutional settings. It affects older women and men with a gender prevalence ratio of 2:1, respectively. UTI in older persons can be a complex problem in terms of the approach to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In this report the discussion will begin with the unique aspects of UTI in older persons, particularly as they relate to UTI in the younger, general population. The remaining discussion will then focus on three complicated clinical circumstances and conditions of UTI in the geriatric population: non-catheter recurrent UTI, asymptomatic bacteriuria, and catheter-related bacteriuria and UTI.