DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2014.v02i04.005

Pages: 268-271

Infections caused by Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) producers are on the rise worldwide, which increase the pressure to the use of carbapenems or cephamycins and betalactamase inhibitors as a combination therapy, depending on sensitivity result and also cause increase in hospital stay ,delay in appropriate therapy, increase in health care costs and higher morbidity and mortality, as they are resistant to penicillins, third generation cephalosporins and aztreonam. These infections are difficult to control, as they are usually associated with aminoglycoside and multidrug resistance. Hence detection of prevalence helps in management of the disease as well as containment of further spread of these organisms. The objective of present study is to determine the prevalence of ESBL producers among the klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates from various clinical samples. A total of 261 strains of klebsiella pneumoniae (161) and Escherichia coli (100) isolated from various clinical samples between January – June 2012 were included in the study. They were studied for ESBL production by Phenotypic Confirmatory Disk Diffusion Test (PCDDT) and by Double Disk Synergy Test (DDST). It is found that ESBL producers detected by PCDDT were 48% (50% in klebsiella pneumoniae and 46% in Escherichia coli) and 45% by DDST (48% in klebsiella pneumoniae and 42% in Escherichia coli). The results indicate a high prevalence rate of ESBL producers and that detection by PCDDT is better than DDST. Routine antibiotic susceptibility test may fail to detect ESBL producers. PCDDT is simple and cost effective for the detection of ESBL production and hence should be routinely employed in diagnostic laboratories.