Prevalence of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase among Diarrheagenic Strains of Escherichia Coli among Children in Yenagoa, Nigeria.

Abstract

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) have increasingly shown to harbor resistance to antimicrobial agents including genes for extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of ESBL-production among DEC children less than five years. A total of 139 children aged 0 to 5 years with symptoms of diarrhea attending public and private healthcare institutions in Yenagoa were recruited for this study. DEC were recovered from these stool specimens and screened for ESBL production. A total of 57 (41.0%) DEC strains were isolated the from 139 stool specimens. The isolation rate of DEC was significantly higher (p=0.0148) in private healthcare facilities (60%) than in public healthcare institutions (32.5%). Of the 57 DEC strains, 12 (21.1%) strains were positive for ESBL enzyme, but its distribution did not differ significantly between DEC isolates recovered from public and private health institution (p=0.5191). Age and gender did not significantly (p>0.05) affect the distribution of ESBL-producing isolates among the recovered DEC. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the susceptibility profiles of ESBL-producing and non-ESBL producing DEC isolates. Screening for ESBL-production for DEC should be done routinely. Prudent use of antibiotics and practice of good hygiene is advocated to stem the tide of ESBL-producing DEC.