Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from lower respiratory tract samples between 2002 and 2019 in the Central Slovenia region.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious global health problems and threatens the effective treatment of bacterial infections. Of greatest concern are infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC). The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of ESBL-EC isolated over an 18-year pre-COVID period from lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples collected from selected Slovenian hospitals.

Objectives and methods

All isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF and phenotypically confirmed as ESBLs by a disk diffusion assay. Using a PCR approach, 487 non-repetitive isolates were assigned to phylogroups, sequence type groups, and clonal groups. Isolates were also screened for virulence-associated

SUBMITTER: Hrovat K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10790261 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature