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Antibiotic resistance patterns of intestinal Escherichia coli isolates from Nicaraguan children

Erick Amaya1,2, Daniel Reyes3,1, Samuel Vilchez1,2

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN), León, Nicaragua.

Journal of Medical Microbiology
|October 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial resistance in intestinal E. coli from Nicaraguan children is high for common antibiotics like ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. However, resistance levels are not as high as in other countries, suggesting potential for effective diarrhea treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Diarrhoeal diseases are a leading cause of death in children under 5 in developing countries.
  • Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is a significant cause of infantile diarrhea in Nicaragua.
  • Recent data on antimicrobial resistance of E. coli in Nicaraguan children is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of intestinal E. coli isolates from children in León, Nicaragua.
  • To analyze resistance in both diarrhoeagenic E. coli (DEC) and non-DEC isolates.
  • To compare resistance levels with other global regions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 727 intestinal E. coli isolates from fecal samples of children (March 2005-September 2006).
  • Screening for DEC using multiplex PCR.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for various antibiotics.

Main Results:

  • High resistance rates observed for ampicillin (60%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (64%).
  • Enteroaggregative E. coli showed significantly higher resistance to ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
  • Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and multidrug resistance were associated with CTX-M-5/CTX-M-15 producing E. coli.

Conclusions:

  • Intestinal E. coli isolates from Nicaraguan children exhibit considerable antimicrobial resistance.
  • Resistance levels to common diarrhea treatment antibiotics are not yet as high as in some other countries.
  • Findings highlight the need for ongoing surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in pediatric E. coli infections in Nicaragua.

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