Objective: To analyze the antimicrobial resistance of clinical Escherichia coli and the situations of ESBLs-producing clinical isolates of Escherichia coli for guiding the rational use of antibiotics to control infections.
Methods: Identification, susceptibility tests of 20 antibiotics and ESBLs detection tests were performed using Microscan WalkAway40.
Results: The resistant rates to 14 antibiotics were higher than 50%. The clinical isolates of Escherichia coli were highly resistant to ampicillin, but were highly susceptible to imipenem. The number of antibiotics encountering resistance of clinical isolates of Escherichia coli ranged from 1 to 19; 93% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant; 49% of the isolates produced ESBLs. The resistant rates of ESBLs-producing isolates to 14 antibiotics were higher than those of non-ESBLs-producing isolates.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial resistance of clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, especially that of multidrug-resistant isolates, is highly prevalent. So doctors must pay great attention to the resistance pattern and the distribution of Escherichia coli in the hospitals and localities where they work. Rational use of antibiotics should be emphasized for reducing the pressure of screening to control the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance.