Incidence and molecular characterization of the extended spectrum beta lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infections in Eastern Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To find the prevalence of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli)-producing extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) at King Fahd Military Medical Complex in Dhahran (KFMMC) and to detect the genes responsible for its production. In addition, we determined the pattern of multi-drug resistance among isolates. METHODS: A total of 117 uropathogenic E. coli isolates were collected from KFMMC over a period of 4 months from March 2014 to June 2014. These were received in the Microbiology Laboratory at Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences (PSMCHS), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for analysis. The isolates were screened for ESBL using VITEK(®) 2 Compact. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) examination was used to determine TEM, SHV, and CTX-M genes. RESULTS: Our findings indicated that there is a high incidence of ESBLs among the E. coli isolated from UTI (23.1%). Our study also indicated that CTX-M genes are the most prevalent among the isolates at KFMMC followed by TEM class (6%), but there was also a higher percentage E. coli (3.4%) simultaneously harboring TEM and CTX-M genes. None of our isolates harbored the SHV genes. CONCLUSION: The findings document the threat of ESBL among E. coli isolates from UTI especially the CTX-M class in our hospital with the occurrence of these strains as etiologic agents of infection in the hospital and community.