Biologia, Bratislava, 56/Suppl. 9: 49-53, 2001.

ISSN 0006-3088 (Biologia). ISSN 1335-6399 (Biologia. Section Cellular and Molecular Biology).

Full Paper

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases produced by Klebsiella pneumoniae in clinical material.

Zuzana Sandorcinova¹*, Leonard Siegfried¹ & Viktoria Takacova²

¹ Institute of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, Srobárova 2, SK-04180 Kosice, Slovakia; e-mail: zsandorc@central.medic.upjs.sk

² Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital, Tr. SNP 1, SK-04001 Kosice, Slovakia

* corresponding author

Received: February 9, 2001 / Accepted: April 23, 2001

Abstract

Chromosomal and plasmid encoded beta-lactamases represent a common cause of resistance against broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics in gram-negative bacteria. Bacterial strains of Klebsiella spp. were isolated from clinical material of immunocompromised patients at intensive care units (ICU) in University Hospital, Kosice. Production of extended- spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) was detected by double disk synergy test (DDST) and verified by the Etest for ESBL (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). Production of ESBL was confirmed in 60 and 71 clinical strains based on results of the two phenotype tests (DDST and Etest, respectively). The overall prevalence of ESBL-producing Klebsiella spp. was 12% (71 out of 560). All ESBL-positive strains were identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Key words: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, Klebsiella pneumoniae, DDST, Etest.