Comparative Analysis of ESBL Phenotypes and Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Associated with Urinary Tract Infections and in Commensal Strains

Authors

Denyss Guilcazo, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Lazaro López, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Diana Calderón, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Katherine Vasquez, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Cristina Chávez, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Lance B. Price, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Jay P. Graham, Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.
Joseph Eisenberg, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Gabriel Trueba, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

10-7-2025

Journal

Microbial drug resistance (Larchmont, N.Y.)

DOI

10.1177/10766294251386346

Keywords

ESBL; UPEC; UTI-E. coli; antimicrobial resistance; commensal; selective pressure

Abstract

Escherichia coli is a genetically versatile organism capable of thriving in diverse environments, acting as a commensal in the intestine or as a pathogen in the urinary tract. E. coli causing urinary tract infections has acquired genes that enable it to colonize the urinary tract, survive immune response, and resist antimicrobials. In this study, we investigated the association between the ESBL (Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase) phenotype and other antimicrobial resistances in E. coli associated with urinary tract infections (UTI-E. coli; n = 1,139) and compared them with commensal E. coli strains (n = 405) isolated from human fecal samples in the same communities and during the same period. Among UTI-E. coli strains, 16.9% were ESBL producers compared to 7.6% in commensal strains, and resistance to other antimicrobials was also significantly higher in UTI-E. coli. These results suggest that many UTI-E. coli and commensal E. coli lineages have been subjected to distinct antimicrobial pressures over time.

APA Citation

Guilcazo, Denyss; López, Lazaro; Calderón, Diana; Vasquez, Katherine; Chávez, Cristina; Price, Lance B.; Graham, Jay P.; Eisenberg, Joseph; and Trueba, Gabriel, "Comparative Analysis of ESBL Phenotypes and Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Associated with Urinary Tract Infections and in Commensal Strains" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 8305.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8305

Department

Environmental and Occupational Health