Faecal Carriage of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Casablanca, Morocco.

The discovery of antibiotics has been an important medical advance that has improved the prognosis of bacterial infections. Recent trends in hospital antimicrobial resistance show a high prevalence of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) [ [1] Lucet J.C. Bouadma L. Épidémiologie française de l’infection acquise en réanimation. Réanimation. 2015 May; 24: 221-223 Crossref Scopus (2) Google Scholar , [2] Nordmann P. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: overview of a major public health challenge. Med Mal Infect. 2014 Feb; 44: 51-56 Crossref PubMed Scopus (186) Google Scholar ]. Enterobacterales are distinguished by their capacity to survive and spread in the community and in hospitals, especially in intensive care units [ [3] MacVane S.H. Antimicrobial resistance in the intensive care unit: a focus on Gram-negative bacterial infections. J Intens Care Med. 2017 Jan; 32: 25-37 Crossref PubMed Scopus (118) Google Scholar ]. Colonization is a risk factor for ESBL-PE infections which are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, hospital costs and length of stay [ [4] Marchaim D. Gottesman T. Schwartz O. Korem M. Maor Y. Rahav G. et al. National multicenter study of predictors and outcomes of bacteremia upon hospital admission caused by Enterobacteriaceae producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010 Dec 1; 54: 5099-5104 Crossref PubMed Scopus (115) Google Scholar ].