Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of faecal carriage of Extended-Spectrum B-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli at the “Hôpital de la Mère et de l’Enfant” in N’Djamena, Chad

In recent times, some strains of Escherichia coli have become a serious public health problem, due to their increasing ability to resist to usual antibiotics and their potential dissemination rates. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of faecal carriage of ESBL-producing E. coli and their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. Clinical isolates of E. coli were isolated onto MacConkey agar plates supplemented with cefotaxim (CTX, 2?g/mL) and tested for ESBL production by using the Double disk synergy test (DDST). Susceptibility to antibiotics was tested according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Out of the 219 stool samples investigated, 56 (25.57%) contained E. coli resistant to cefotaxim. Among these strains, 20.09% was detected to be E. coli producers ESBL and 5.47% tested non-producers ESBL. Multidrug-resistance to antibioctics was significantly associated with ESBL production (p < 0.05). This study shows a significant rate of ESBL producing strains among the E. coli isolated from patients at the “Hôpital de la Mere et de l’Enfant” in Chad and indicates the need to rationalize the use of antibiotics and perform initiatives to control their dissemination.