Dissemination of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in pediatric intensive care units.

To study the growing trend of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), 88 nonrepetitive ESBL-producing isolates were prospectively collected and analyzed by molecular methods during a 16-month period. The emergence and dissemination of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in PICUs are the consequence of the clonal dissemination of a few epidemic strains along with the horizontal transmission of resistance gene-carrying plasmids among bacterial organisms.