Occurrence of Bacteria and Yeast in Urinary Tract of HIV/AIDS Patients Attending Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Clinic at University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the infections observed among HIV patients and is a cause of morbidity and hospitalization in HIV-positive individuals. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of urinary tract pathogenic bacteria and yeast among HIV-infected individuals attending the Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) clinic in Jos, Nigeria. Mid-stream urine samples collected from 240 HIV-seropositive patients were cultured, isolates identified, and antibiotic susceptibility profiles determined using the agar disk diffusion technique (Kirby-Bauer). Out of the 240 samples screened, 39 (16.25%) had urinary tract infections (UTIs), and 33 (16.20%) had yeast infections. The distribution of bacterial isolates was as follows: Escherichia coli 12 (30.77%), Staphylococcus aureus 10 (25.64%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 4 (10.26%), Enterobacter sp. 4 (10.26%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus 3 (7.69%), Citrobacter freundii 2 (5.13%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 (5.13%), and Proteus mirabilis 1 (2.56%). Among the yeasts, Candida albicans showed the highest prevalence with 21 (63.64%), while non-albicans Candida sp. had 12 (36.36%). The age group 20–24 years had the highest prevalence with 1 (33.3%) case, while bacterial infection was not detected among those <19, 55–59, and ≥60 years. Females had a higher prevalence of 36 (17.60%) compared to males with 3 (8.33%). The antibiotic susceptibility patterns showed that gentamicin (10 µg), augmentin (20 µg), chloramphenicol (30 µg), ciprofloxacin (5 µg), and ofloxacin (5 µg) were more effective. The study revealed that uropathogenic bacteria and yeast were prevalent among HIV/AIDS patients. Routine screening for uropathogens should be incorporated into the management and care of HIV/AIDS patients in Nigeria.