ABSTRACT
We determined the faecal carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-[ESBL]-producing bacteria in the community in Saudi Arabia. A total of 716 faecal specimens [from 505 healthy individuals and 211 community outpatients] were screened for ESBL using the double-disk synergy test and confirmed by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute combined disk method. We found 91 [12.7%] isolates were ESBL-producers. Of these, 87 [95.6%] were Escherichia coli and 4 [4.4%] Klebsiella pneumoniae. A similar rate of faecal carriage of ESBL-producers was demonstrated in community outpatients and healthy individuals: 62 [12.3%] healthy persons and 29 [13.7%] outpatients. We conclude that the community could be a reservoir of these ESBL-producing bacteria and enzymes