Fecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Korean community and hospital settings

Purpose The assessment and early recognition of risk factors for infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are important for infection control and proper treatment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of fecal carriage of ESBL-E in healthy individuals and hospitalized high-risk patients in Korea and to compare the characteristics of ESBL-E in these two groups. Methods A total of 384 samples from 290 healthy individuals and 94 high-risk patients were collected. The screening of ESBL-E was performed using a commercial chromogenic medium. Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed using the Vitek 2 system. Results The prevalence of ESBL-E carriage was 20.3 % in healthy individuals and 42.5 % in high-risk patients. Escherichia coli comprised a large majority (96.6 %) of the isolates from healthy individuals, but Klebsiella pneumoniae was more commonly detected (45.0 %) in high-risk patients than in healthy individuals. K pneumoniae isolates exhibited significantly higher resistance to ceftazidime, ampicillin, and carbapenem, and E. coli exhibited higher resistance to cefotaxime. E. coli from high-risk patients exhibited significantly higher resistance to levofloxacin and cefepime than that from healthy individuals. Conclusions We demonstrated the high prevalence of ESBL-E carriage in Korea and clarified the characteristics of ESBL-E carriage in healthy individuals and high-risk patients. The distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of colonizing ESBL-E were different between the group of healthy individuals and the high-risk patients. Active surveillance of ESBL-E carriage is suggested for infection control, and the use of chromogenic agar appears to be an efficient method.