Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in clinical isolates of enterobacteria in Mexico

Resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins within members of the family Enterobacteriaceae occurs virtually world-wide. Nevertheless, nothing was known about this problem among isolates from Mexico. To address this issue, we studied oximino-cephalosporin resistant isolates of Klebsiella pneumoni ae (13), Escherichia coli (7), and Enterobacter cloacae (23) recovered from patients in Mexico City hospitals during 1990 to 1992, In the presence of clavulanic acid, these strains increased susceptibility to cefotaxime and c eftazidime (MIC90 64 and > 256 mu g/ml, respectively), The ability of these isolates to transfer resistance to both antibiotics by conjugation was mos t successfully demonstrated by K, pneumoniae. In all the clinical isolates tested, the largest plasmid coded for the extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), Characteristics of pI, by isoelectric focusing (IEF)/bioassay and DNA hybridization with specific probes of TEM and SHV, indicated that in mo st of the clinical isolates and all transconjugates, the most frequent beta -lactamase coded were SHV-derived (20 strains as 41% of isolates) and a pla smid-encoded beta-latamase (12 strains as 25% of isolates) (with a pi of > 8.2), which is not related to TEM/SHV. Apparently, isolates from Mexico sho w characteristics similar to isolates from other geographic areas, The type of beta-lactamases coded in these resistant isolates is documented for the first time in Mexico.