Emergence and dominance of CTX-M-15 extended spectrum beta-lactamase among Escherichia coli isolates from children

Microb Drug Resist. 2011 Jun;17(2):135-40. doi: 10.1089/mdr.2010.0098. Epub 2011 Feb 2.

Abstract

Of forty-seven extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates, collected from children at the Children's Hospital in 2006 (Tunis, Tunisia), we analyzed 32 isolates that were genotypically different by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus -polymerase chain reaction. For all isolates, the double-disk diffusion test revealed synergy between clavulanate and cefotaxime and/or ceftazidime, suggesting the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. Polymerase chain reaction experiments, performed on plasmid DNA, and sequencing revealed the presence of bla(TEM-1B) (26 isolates, 81%), bla(TEM-34(IRT-6)) (3 isolates, 9%), bla(SHV-12) (2 isolates, 6%), and bla(CTX-M-15) (31 isolates, 97%). Further, the insertion sequence ISEcp1 was found upstream from the bla(CTX-M-15) gene in 11 isolates. The bla genes were found alone or in various combinations in a single isolate. bla(TEM-1B) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes were detected in 26 out of the 32 isolates. Three isolates harbored both bla(TEM-34(IRT-6)) and bla(CTX-M-15). bla(SHV-12) was identified either alone or with bla(CTX-M-15) in a single isolate. Our investigation showed the dominance of CTX-M-type extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, with CTX-M-15 particularly common, and to our best knowledge, this is the first report of the coexistence of CTX-M-15 and IRT-6 in E. coli isolates from children in Tunisia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Cefotaxime / pharmacology
  • Ceftazidime / pharmacology
  • Child
  • Clavulanic Acid / pharmacology
  • DNA Transposable Elements / genetics
  • DNA, Bacterial / blood*
  • DNA, Intergenic / analysis
  • Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Escherichia coli / classification
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli Infections / drug therapy
  • Escherichia coli Infections / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli Infections / microbiology
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Plasmids / metabolism
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tunisia
  • beta-Lactamases / blood
  • beta-Lactamases / genetics*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Intergenic
  • Clavulanic Acid
  • Ceftazidime
  • beta-lactamase CTX-M-15
  • beta-Lactamases
  • Cefotaxime