Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) in clinical isolates from burn patients using phenotypic and genotypic analyses. Methods: During 2015–2016, a total of 126 samples were collected at a tertiary care hospital, Islamabad. Antibiotic sensitivity and ESBL prevalence were evaluated according to the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute, and molecular analysis of the CTX-M type ESBL gene was performed in 225 bacterial isolates from these samples. Results: The most prevalent bacterial species were Escherichia coli (28.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (19.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.4%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (13.3%). Of the 225 bacterial isolates, 89 (39.5%) were found to be ESBL producers. The isolates were highly susceptible to meropenem (88%) and imipenem (84%), followed by the aminoglycoside amikacin (81%). Molecular epidemiology of the ESBL isolates indicated 19% prevalence of CTX-M. Resistance to antibiotics was exhibited by 28% isolates. Conclusions: In the present study, bacteria such as P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and E. coli isolated from burn patients exhibited resistance to one or more antibiotics and produced large amounts of ESBL. Further studies are needed to investigate the virulence and epidemiology of CTX-M type ESBL in clinical isolates from burn patients.

Authors and Affiliations