Antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli strains isolated in a pediatric population from South Eastern Romania

Abstract

In Constanta during the summer hospital admission of children especially with diarrheal diseases is increased because of the influx of tourists. We determine retrospectively the antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli strains isolated from a pediatric population hospitalized during 2012 at Constanta Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital. Microbiology samples were inoculated on selective media (Blood Agar and Drigalscki Lactose Agar) and incubated at 37°, for 16 h, and subsequently on average multitest media (MIU, TSI, and Simmons). For the final identification we used API 20E Biomerieux tests. During 2012 we isolated 112 strains of E. coli – 85 strains from stool, 16 from urine, 10 from gastric fluid, 8 from throat, and 3 from other secretions. All E. coli strains isolated from our patients were E. coli enteropathogens. Male: Female ratio was 1:1.33. Median age was 5.5 years (range from 3 months – 17.4 years). The antibiotic sensitivity of E. coli revealed a low sensitivity to ampicillin (19.6%), tetracycline (29.5%), and amoxicillin (37.5%). The highest sensitivity was to Carbapenems (93%). Among diseases caused by E. coli in children hospitalized at Constanta Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital during 2012 intestinal tract infections were the most frequent, followed by urinary tract infections. Antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli was low to ampicillin, and tetracycline, while the majority of E. coli strains were sensitive to carbapenems.

Keywords

Escherichia coli - antibiotic - susceptibility