Epidemiology and risk factors for staphylococcal urinary tract infections in the Moroccan Casablanca area

Purpose: This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for developing staphylococcal urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the Casablanca area of Morocco.

Methods: In Casablanca, Morocco, a retrospective evaluation of 772 UTIs patients was conducted between January 2020 and December 2022. The research included two groups of patients: those with staphylococcal UTIs and those without. Sex, age, chronic illnesses, antibiotic exposure, urinary catheterization, urological surgery, and UTIs history were the risk variables assessed. We employed a logistic regression model to identify the characteristics that were predictive of staphylococcal UTIs.

Results: Eight staphylococcal species were responsible for 16.84% of UTIs in 772 non-repeating individuals. Patients infected with S. saprophyticus (35.38%) were the most common, followed by those infected with S. epidermidis (24.61%), S. aureus (13.85%), and S. hemolyticus (10.78%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that male sex (95% CI: 0.261-0.563), immunosuppression and immunosuppressive treatments (95% CI: 0.0068-0.64), chronic diseases (95% CI: 0.407-0.965), previous UTIs (95% CI: 0.031-0.228), frequency of urination more than 8 times a day (95% CI:1.04-3.29), frequency of urination once or twice a day (95% CI: 1.05-2.39), and urinary catheterization (95% CI: 0.02-0.22) were the most likely predictors of staphylococcal UTIs. In addition, a larger proportion of patients with staphylococcal UTIs were made aware of the risk factors associated with staphylococcal UTIs (52.31%, χ2 = 4.82, = 0.014).

Conclusions: This is the first global study to evaluate the predictive factors for acquiring UTIs caused by staphylococci. Monitoring these factors will enable medical authorities to devise effective strategies for managing UTIs and combating antibiotic resistance.