Diversity of Escherichia coli Strains Producing Extended-Spectrum B-Lactamases in Spain: Second Nationwide Study

The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLEC) in Spain increased 8-fold from 2000 to 2006. ESBL type, clonal relationship, antimicrobial susceptibility, and clinical data about infections caused by ESBLEC are evaluated in a second nationwide study developed in 2006. From 1008 clinical isolates obtained over 2 months from 44 hospitals, 254 were used for further analysis. ESBL production was evaluated by synergy testing, PCR, and sequencing. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by microdilution. The clonal relationship was evaluated by repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (REP-PCR). The O25b subtype and the new afa operon FM955459 were determined by triplex PCR in isolates producing CTX-M-15. Multilocus sequence typing was performed on these isolates. A total of 72% of all ESBLs were of the CTX-M type, 26.8% were of the SHV type, and 1.2% were of the TEM type. The most prevalent ESBLs were CTX-M-14 (119 isolates), SHV-12 (68 isolates), CTX-M-15 (37 isolates), and CTX-M-9 (21 isolates). By REP-PCR, 214 clones were detected. All but five CTX-M-15 ESBLEC isolates corresponded to the international O25b/ST131 clone. This clone had not been detected in the first study (published in 2000). Epidemiological and clinical features were studied in 304 representative patients. A total of 60% of the patients were older than 60 and had nonfatal underlying diseases, and 55% had recently received antibiotics. Urinary tract infections accounted for 71% of cases, and 9% were bacteremic. There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of ESBLEC in Spain, with most of these strains being CTX-M-producing isolates, including the pandemic O25b-ST131. SHV-12-producing E. coli remains an important cause of community-acquired infection.