Semirapid Detection of Piperacillin/Tazobactam Resistance and Extended-Spectrum Resistance to β-Lactams/β-Lactamase Inhibitors in Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli

• Published in: Microbiology spectrum 2021-10, Vol.9 (2), p.e0080121
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Villodres, Ángel, Gutiérrez Linares, Alicia, Gálvez-Benitez, Lydia, Pachón, Jerónimo, Lepe, José Antonio, Smani, Younes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial Chemotherapy; Bacteriological Techniques; beta-lactamase; beta-lactamase inhibitor; beta-Lactamase Inhibitors - pharmacology; beta-Lactamases - genetics; beta-Lactams - pharmacology; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - drug effects; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli Infections - diagnosis; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; ESRI; Humans; Lactams - pharmacology; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; piperacillin; Piperacillin, Tazobactam Drug Combination - pharmacology; Research Article; resistance
• ISSN: 2165-0497; 2165-0497
• DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00801-21

Piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) is a β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) recommended for the empirical treatment of severe infections. The excessive and indiscriminate use of TZP has promoted the emergence of TZP-resistant Escherichia coli isolates. Recently, we demonstrated that TZP may contribute to the development of xtended- pectrum esistance to BL/BL (ESRI) in E. coli isolates that are TZP susceptible but have low-level resistance to BL/BLI (resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid [AMC] and/or ampicillin/sulbactam [SAM]). This raises the need for the development of rapid detection systems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to design and validate a method able to detect TZP resistance and ESRI in E. coli. A colorimetric assay based on β-lactam ring hydrolysis by β-lactamases was designed (ESRI test). A total of 114 E. coli isolates from bloodstream and intra-abdominal sources, characterized according to their susceptibility profiles to BL/BLI, were used. Detection of the three most frequent β-lactamases involved in BL/BLI resistance ( , , and ) was performed by PCR. The ESRI test was able to detect all the TZP-intermediate/-resistant isolates, as well as all the TZP-susceptible isolates with a capacity for ESRI development. Their median times to results were 5 and 30 min, respectively. All the isolates without resistance to BL/BLI displayed a negative result in the ESRI test. was the most frequent β-lactamase gene detected, follow by and . These results demonstrate the efficacy of the ESRI test, showing great clinical potential which could lead to reductions in health costs, ineffective treatments, and inappropriate use of BL/BLI. TZP is a BL/BLI recommended for the empirical treatment of severe infections. The excessive use of TZP has promoted the emergence of TZP-resistant Escherichia coli isolates. We recently reported that TZP may contribute to the development of ESRI in E. coli isolates that are TZP susceptible but have low-level resistance to BL/BLI. This raises the need for the development of rapid detection systems. Here, we demonstrated that the ESRI test was able to detect the TZP-intermediate or -resistant isolates and the TZP-susceptible isolates with the capacity for ESRI development. All the isolates without BL/BLI resistance were negative for the ESRI test and did not harbor β-lactamase genes. For ESRI developers and TZP-intermediate or -resistant isolates, was the most frequent β-lactamase gene detected, follow by and . The