High Rates of Intestinal Colonization with Extended-Spectrum Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae among Healthy Individuals

Background: Infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria become an emerging problem in the community setting in many parts of the world. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine fecal carriage of ESBL-producing organisms in a community setting. Methods: A total of 632 fecal specimens from healthy individuals were screened for ESBL using the agar screening test with MacConkey agar plates supplemented with 1 μg/mL of cefotaxime for selection of ESBL-producing strains and confirmed by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute combined disk method. Results: Four hundred isolates (63.3%) were ESBL producers. Two hundred eighty-five isolates (71.25%) of them were Escherichia coli and 96 (24.0%) Klebsiella pneumoniae. Conclusion: We concluded that the community could be a reservoir of these ESBL-producing bacteria and enzymes.