Urinary tract infections caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in renal transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious complications among renal transplant recipients (RTR). UTIs caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) have been associated with inferior clinical outcomes and increased financial burden. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching through the PubMed and EMBASE databases (to May 20, 2016) and identifying studies that reported data on the number of RTR who developed an ESBL-PE UTI. Results: Our analysis included seven studies, out of 357 non-duplicate articles, that provided data on 2824 patients. Among them, 10% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4%-17%) developed an ESBL-PE UTI over their follow-up periods. The proportion of RTR affected by an ESBL-PE UTI was 2% in North America (95% CI 1%-3%), 5% in Europe (95% CI 4%-6%), 17% in South America (95% CI 10%-27%), and 33% in Asia (95% CI 27%-41%). In addition, patients affected with an ESBL-PE UTI were 2.75-times (95% CI 1.97-3.83) more likely to suffer a recurrent UTI. Conclusions: Based on a limited number of studies, one in 10 RTR will develop a UTI caused by an ESBL-PE, and these patients face an almost 3 times greater risk of recurrence. A more rigorous monitoring of RTR, both during and after resolution of their infection, should be evaluated in order to reduce the incidence and the clinical impact of these resistant infections.