VOLUME 7 NUMBER 2 (July to December 2014)

by Merlyn C. Cruz*^1,2, Catherine S. Bacani¹, Alma B. Mendoza¹, and Cynthia T. Hedreyda²

¹Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City
²National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of the Philippines,   Diliman Quezon City

The increased spread of pathogens producing extended-spectrumbeta-lactamase (ESBL) enzymeamong members of family Enterobacteriaceae hasbeen a serious problem worldwide. The absence ofa fast and accurate detection protocol for ESBLproducers had contributed to treatment failures in ESBL-associatedinfections. This study focused on the isolation of phenotypicallyESBL-producing E. coli isolates from 3 hospitals inLuzon, Philippines. The availability of confirmed ESBLs is valuablein conducting experiments to gain information about ESBLsthat are relevant to the identification of detection markers forthese pathogens. Out of 119 pathogenic E. coli isolates fromclinical samples such as urine, wound, body aspirates and blood,37 (31%) were identified as suspected ESBLs using a preliminarytest and 27 of the 37 suspected ESBLs were confirmed asESBL producers based on a test referred to as double-disk synergytest. The highest percentage of ESBL-producing E. coli wasobtained from urine specimens, while the lowest was from bloodsamples. All the ESBL-positive isolates exhibited resistance tocefotaxime and to levofloxacin. Co-resistance to other antibioticslike trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, tetracyclineand cefepime was also noted in some isolates. Susceptibility ofESBL-producers remains high towards carbapenems. These findingspoint to the urgent need to develop a fast and accurate detectionprotocol (including a molecular approach) for ESBL-producingpathogens.