Antimicrobial Resistance Analysis of Clinical Escherichia coli Isolates in Neonatal Ward

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) column for one of the most common pathogens causing neonatal infections. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a major cause of treatment failure in infected newborns. The purpose of this study was to describe antibiotic and multidrug resistance of <i>E. coli</i> strains isolated from neonates with infection throughout the years 2009-2011. <b>Methods:</b> The antimicrobial susceptibility testing of <i>E. coli</i> strains to selected antibiotics was assessed using the E-test technique on the Mueller-Hinton agar. The antimicrobial tests included ceftazidime, cefuroxime, cefatriaxone, amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefoperazone- sulbactam, meropenem, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfonamides. <b>Results:</b> A total of 100 <i>E. coli</i> strains were isolated from sputum (<i>n</i> = 78), blood (<i>n</i> = 10), cerebrospinal fluid (<i>n</i> = 5), and umbilical discharge (<i>n</i> = 7) samples of hospitalized neonates at the Beijing Children's Hospital. The highest rate of <i>E. coli</i> resistance was found in amoxicillin (85%), followed by cefuroxime (65%), and cefatriaxone (60%), respectively. A total of 6 and 5% of all isolates were only resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cefoperazone -sulbactam. The rates of resistance to ceftazidime, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfonamides were 31, 20, 33, and 47%, respectively. All isolates were susceptible to meropenem. Approximately 26% of all <i>E. coli</i> isolates were multidrug-resistant. The detection rate of ESBL-Producing <i>E. coli</i> was 55%. <b>Conclusions:</b> Multi-drug-resistant <i>E. coli</i> has become an important and complex problem in clinical treatment, and it is thus essential to monitor <i>E. coli</i> resistance in neonates.