The type and antibiotic sensitivity of urinary tract pathogens may differ in various communities. Of 207 isolates recovered from midstream urine specimens collected from a group of patients with community acquired urinary tract infections (UTI), 86% were species of Enterobacteriaceae. The most frequently recovered pathogens were Escherichia coli (82%), Klebsiella spp. (7.3%), Proteus spp. (6.2%), Enterobacter spp. (3.4%) and Citrobacter spp. (1.1%). High rates of resistance were found against ampicillin (95%), tetracycline (86%), carbenicillin (84%), trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (48%), and amoxycillin/clavulanic acid (45%). For the antibiotics tobramycin, aztreonam, ceftriaxone and gentamicin 7% of the isolates were resistant, while resistance varied from 9-18% for amikacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, nalidixic acid and cefuroxime. The incidence of UTI caused by Enterobacteriaceae was three times higher in females than in males, particularly in young and middle age groups (< or = 19 and 20-39 years).