genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance in hospital and community isolates of klebsiella pneumoniae and escherichia coli

Background: multi-drug resistant escherichia coli and klebsiella pneumoniae with various resistance determinants are a major concern in hospital and community acquired infections around the world. objectives: to describe the presence of blactx-m, blatem, blaper, blaveb, and integrons class 1, 2, 3 and extended spectrum lactamase (esbl) phenotype in e. coli and k. pneumoniae isolates from clinical samples of inpatients and outpatients. methods: one hundred and eighty six e. coli and fifty-eight k. pneumoniae were collected. antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disk diffusion method. extended-spectrum beta-lactamase phenotype were screened by phenotypic confirmatory test. pcr assay was performed for blatem, blactx-m, blaper and blaveb and class 1, 2, 3 integrase genes. statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared test. results: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase phenotype was detected in 49 (26.3%) e. coli and 19 (32.8%) k. pneumoniae isolates. blaveb gene in 32 (17.2%) e. coli and 5 (8.6%) k. pneumoniae isolates. blaper gene in 4 (2.1%) e. coli and 0 (0%) k. pneumoniae isolates. blactx-m gene in 113 (60.7%) e. coli and 34 (58.6%) k. pneumoniae isolates. blatem gene in 106 (57%) e. coli and 25 (43.1%) k. pneumoniae isolates. one hundred and nine (58.6%) of e. coli and 33 (56.9%) of k. pneumoniae were carrying class 1 integron and 18 (9.7%) of e. coli and 3 (5.2%) of k. pneumoniae were carrying class 2 integron. class 3 integron was not detected. conclusions: high prevalence of esbls in e. coli and k. pneumoniae isolated from the community and hospital acquired infections could lead to the wide spread of multi-drug resistance clones that also contain new mechanism of resistance.