Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are an emerging health problem. Kidney patients with UTI are at increased risk of antimicrobials resistance (AMR) and bad prognosis. In the nephrological setting, optimizing the management of UTIs is certainly a challenge, but it is indispensable for a favorable clinical outcome and in fighting AMR. When UTIs caused by multidrug-resistant germs are suspected, it is necessary to initiate empirical antibiotic therapy timely, pending microbiological study and bacterial sensitivity. The empirical choice of antibiotic must be based on: guidelines, resistance rates recorded in the region, and knowledge of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the drug, in order to maximize efficacy, reduce adverse effects and minimize AMR development. Recently, the clinical use of old drugs such as colistin has increased, due to the limited circulation of resistant bacterial strains. On the other hand, ceftolozane/tazobactam, ceftazidime/avibactam, cefiderocol, imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam and meropenem-vaborbactam are very promising new antibiotics. Ongoing clinical studies will be able to determine the place for these interesting molecules in the treatment of infections and in fighting AMR.
Keywords: antibiotic resistance; antibiotics; urinary tract infections.
Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.