Hospital-specific antibiograms and antibiotic prophylaxis for prostate biopsies: a reexamination of AUA recommendations.

Introduction: To assess whether standard American Urological Association (AUA) and other recommendations for prostate biopsy prophylaxis provide sufficient coverage of common urinary organisms responsible for post biopsy infections by comparing local antibiograms in Philadelphia-area hospitals.
Materials and Methods: De-identified culture results derived from antibiograms were collected from six academic and community hospitals in the Philadelphia region. Analysis specifically focused on four major bacterial causes of urinary tract infection following prostate biopsy (Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and Enterococcus faecalis) along with commonly recommended antibiotics including fluoroquinolones (FQ's), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ceftriaxone, and gentamicin.
Results: Bacterial sensitivities to each antibiotic across institutions showed variation in E.coli sensitivities to FQs (p < 0.001), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (p < 0.001), ceftriaxone (p < 0.001) and gentamicin (p < 0.001). Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis exhibited similar variations. Sensitivity comparisons for Enterococcus faecalis was unable to be performed due to absent or incomplete data across institutions.
Conclusion: Institutional antibiograms vary within our regional hospitals. Standardized recommendations for commonly used antibiotic prophylaxis such as fluoroquinolones may be inadequate for peri-procedural prostate biopsy prophylaxis based on local resistance patterns. Valuable information about the potential effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis for prostate biopsies can be found in local institutional antibiograms, and should be consulted when considering antibiotic prophylaxis for prostate biopsy procedures.