Antibiogram And Prevalence Of ESBL Genes In Escherichia Coli From Clinical Specimen

Abstract

The members of the Enterobacteriaceae family are among the most common causative agents of various clinical infections. Some pathogens produce enzymes to escape the effect of antibiotics and the ESBL enzyme is the new strategy of the bacterial pathogen which is responsible for emerging antimicrobial resistance. The prevalence of Gram Negative bacteria that are usually associated with the production of ESBLs enzymes is on the rise around the globe, both in residing area and hospital setups, as a result, multiple therapeutic problems including antibiotic resistance are being faced. The current study was aimed to look at the characteristics, the pattern of antibiotic resistance, and to estimate the prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in clinical isolates. The samples after collection were streaked and cultured on MacConkey, and chocolate, and blood agar. The identification of the isolates was done based on various biochemical characteristics, and the API 20-E test. The modified Disc Diffusion method was used to confirm ESBL enzyme synthesis, and the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method was used to assess antibiotic susceptibility. Out of 121 isolates of E. coli, 51.2% (n=62) were recovered from female patients and 48.8% (n=59) were obtained from male patients. The genotypic detection of ESBL genes was done by PCR followed by gel electrophoresis. Of total 47 E. coli confirmed for the production of ESBLs, 91.4% (n=43) were found harbouring blaCTX-M followed by blaTEM and blaSHV with 21.2% (n=10) and 8.5% (n=4) prevalence. The table gives an overview of ESBL gene distribution in clinically isolated E. coli. The current study indicates the magnitude of antimicrobial resistance and the underlying genes especially the blaCTX-M gene among the E. coli isolates.