Trimethoprim no longer first line for acute UTIs in new guidelines
The update is part of sweeping changes to antibiotic recommendations to be released by Therapeutic Guidelines over the next year.
Nitrofurantoin is now first line for adult patients with acute cystitis because of high resistance to trimethoprim, new guidelines say.
The change is part of the largest overhaul to date of Therapeutic Guidelines’ recommendations for antibiotics.
Infectious diseases physician Professor Peter Collignon, who was not involved with the updates, said that nitrofurantoin was a “very good choice” for uncomplicated UTIs.
“The most common organism in uncomplicated UTIs, particularly in females, is E. coli, and nitrofurantoin has about a 95% sensitivity for it,” said Professor Collignon, from the Australian National University in Canberra.
