CTX-M-15-producing multidrug-resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACTExtended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production was demonstrated in five independent, multidrug-resistant isolates of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) from the United Arab Emirates, representing 11.3% of the EAEC isolates recovered during 1 year. All five isolates carried the blaCTX-M-15 and the blaTEM-1 genes, the former positioned 48 bp downstream of an ISecp1 element. In two isolates, the blaCTX-M-15 and blaTEM-1 genes were located on a 95-kb plasmid. This is the first detailed description and characterisation of ESBL production in enteroaggregative E. coli and also the first report of CTX-Mproducing organisms encountered on the Arabian Peninsula.