High prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers in fatal cases of pediatric septicemia among the Enterobacteriaceae in the pediatric hospital of Annaba, Algeria

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers and to perform molecular typing of ESBL-encoding genes in Enterobacteriaceae from clinical isolates recovered from blood samples of children in Annaba, Algeria. A total of 42 clinical isolates were collected from March 2010 to July 2011 from the pediatric hospital of Annaba. The strains were identified by phenotypic tests and the ESBL-encoding genes was accomplished by PCR amplification and sequencing. Among these isolates, 10 ESBL isolates had CTX-M-15, 13 had TEM-1, one isolate had TEM-136, 2 were positive for SHV-11, 8 had SHV-12, 3 had SHV-28, 1 isolate contained SHV-32, and 1 isolate had SHV-133. A total of 45.2% of the patients died. The high prevalence of ESBL producers among Enterobacteriaceae, along with the observation of 19 fatal cases, is worrisome; therefore, we believe that national surveillance of antibiotic resistance should be urgently implemented in Algeria.   Key words: Antibiotic resistance, Enterobacteriaceae, Algeria, septicemia