Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Shigella strains in Israel, 2000-2004

Routine susceptibility testing of 5,616 Shigella isolates at the National Shigella Reference Centre in Israel over a 5-year period (2000-2004) revealed resistance to ceftriaxone in one strain of Shigella boydii 2 and in two strains each of Shigella flexneri 2a, S. flexneri 6, and Shigella sonnei. All seven isolates were confirmed as producers of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) by the combination disk method, the Vitek 1 system, and a modification of the double-disk synergy test, which is based on the inhibitory properties of clavulanic acid, tazobactam, and sulbactam. Tazobactam had the strongest effect in all seven strains. Molecular characterization of the ESBLs identified CTX-M-type enzymes, consisting of the CTX-M-9 group (n=3), CTX-M-3 (n=2), CTX-M-39 (n=1), and CTX-M-2 group (n=1). Three of the strains also carried bla-_OXA genes and a bla-_TEM gene. Although the prevalence of ESBLs in this study was low, further research is needed on the spread and transfer of resistance genes, both in hospitals and in the community.