A study of Extended Spectrum ß-Lactamases in Gram-negative Bacterial Isolates in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai

Abstract

Background: Injudicious use of antimicrobials for any infection causes microbes to undergo changes through selective pressure and ultimately leads to the development of antimicrobial resistance. The production of ß-Lactamase is one of the most important mechanisms adopted by bacteria to evade action by penicillins and cephalosporins. Materials and Methods: This prospective in vitro study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai over a 6-month period with the aim of identifying extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs) in Gram-negative bacteria in clinical isolates, by double disk diffusion test and E test. Results: Five thousand five hundred and forty-eight g-negative bacilli were isolated of which 2354 (42.42%) were ESBL producers. Maximum numbers of ESBL production were seen in isolates from the blood sample (53.91%) followed by pus (47%) and urine samples (42.27%). Conclusion: ESBL-producing organisms are increasing in the community; therefore, restricted and judicious use of the third generation cephalosporins is to be followed to prevent and control such types of resistance.