Diabetes mellitus in itself is not a risk factor for antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from patients with bacteriuria

Aim  To investigate whether diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from patients with bacteriuria. Methods  Data were obtained from a multicentre study. A clean‐voided midstream urine culture was collected from 636 women with diabetes, who were between 18 and 75‐years‐old, attended an out‐patient department and had no symptoms of a urinary tract infection. The resistance of E. coli was determined for different antimicrobials. The results were compared with resistance data from routine isolates of E. coli , obtained from women in the same age category, time period and location. Results  A total of 135 E. coli were isolated from women with diabetes mellitus (mean age 57 ± 14 years) and compared with 5907 routine isolates of E. coli obtained from female patients visiting an out‐patient department (mean age 52 ± 17 years). The resistance rates of E. coli isolated from diabetic patients and the routine isolates of E. coli to trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole were 19% and 23%, respectively, to amoxicillin 16% and 32%, to nitrofurantoin 1% and 3%, to ciprofloxacin 0% and 4%, to ofloxacin 0% and 5%, and to norfloxacin 1% and 4%. Conclusion  The resistance of uropathogenic E. coli in non‐hospitalized women with diabetes mellitus is not higher than that seen in routine isolates of E. coli . This suggests that diabetes in itself is not a risk factor for resistance.