Prevalence and risk factors for selection of quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli strains in fecal flora of patients receiving quinolone therapy

Abstract

Patients taking quinolones as inpatients (n = 55) or outpatients (n = 40) and newly hospitalized patients who were not on quinolone therapy (n = 41) were assessed for fecal carriage of quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli (QREC) strains before and after therapy/hospitalization. Fluoroquinolone use in the previous 6 months was found to be a risk factor for QREC carriage before therapy/hospitalization. The prevalence of QREC strains in fecal flora increased steadily with the duration of quinolone therapy.