RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Over a 6-month period, extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates of Escherichia coli (EC) were collected from in-patients and their environment at the Zou-Collines Hospital Centre (CHDZ/C) in Benin. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of ESBL and to describe their phenotypic susceptibility to antibiotics in a secondary hospital (500 beds) in Benin. METHODS: From 15 May to 15 November 2005, clinical informations and samples were collected from patients suspected to have nosocomial infections. The isolates were identified, tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and analysed for the presence of ESBL genes blaTEM and blaSHV by PCR. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-seven enterobacteria were isolated from the clinical samples of 342 patients, these isolates included 143 EC and 32/143 (22%) of these isolates produced ESBL. Forty-six EC were isolated from the environment and 7 (15%) of them produced ESBL. Except for Imipenem for which the difference was not significant, the isolates producing ESBL were more resistant to the other antibiotics (especially to third generation cephalosporins: Ceftriaxone, Cefotaxime, Ceftazidime (P<0.00001)) than non-ESBL producing isolates. Both ESBL genes blaSHV and blaTEM were identified in the EC ESBL strains from patient and from the environment. CONCLUSION: This study shows the presence of ESBL genes among EC in various wards of the CHDZ/C hospital proving that there is a need to implement a strict hospital infection control program and a regular surveillance of resistance to antimicrobial agents.