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Abstract
Since 2000, Escherichia coli producing CTX-M enzymes have emerged worldwide as important
causes of community-onset urinary tract and bloodstream infections owing to extended-spectrum
beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria. Molecular epidemiological studies suggested
that the sudden worldwide increase of CTX-M-15-producing E. coli was mainly due to
a single clone (ST131) and that foreign travel to high-risk areas, such as the Indian
subcontinent, might in part play a role in the spread of this clone across different
continents. Empirical antibiotic coverage for these resistant organisms should be
considered in community patients presenting with sepsis involving the urinary tract,
especially if the patient recently travelled to a high-risk area. If this emerging
public health threat is ignored, it is possible that the medical community may be
forced, in the near future, to use carbapenems as the first choice for the empirical
treatment of serious infections associated with urinary tract infections originating
from the community.
(c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.