High rates of intestinal colonization with extended-spectrum lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae among healthy individuals.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria become an emerging problem in the community setting in many parts of the world. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine fecal carriage of ESBL-producing organisms in a community setting. METHODS: A total of 632 fecal specimens from healthy individuals were screened for ESBL using the agar screening test with MacConkey agar plates supplemented with 1 μg/mL of cefotaxime for selection of ESBL-producing strains and confirmed by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute combined disk method. RESULTS: Four hundred isolates (63.3%) were ESBL producers. Two hundred eighty-five isolates (71.25%) of them were Escherichia coli and 96 (24.0%) Klebsiella pneumoniae. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the community could be a reservoir of these ESBL-producing bacteria and enzymes.