CTX-M-15-producing multidrug-resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production was demonstrated in five independent, multidrug-resistant isolates of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) from the United Arab Emirates, representing 11.3% of the EAEC isolates recovered during 1 year. All five isolates carried the bla CTX-M-15 and the bla TEM-1 genes, the former positioned 48 bp downstream of an IS ecp1 element. In two isolates, the bla CTX-M-15 and bla TEM-1 genes were located on a 95-kb plasmid. This is the first detailed description and characterisation of ESBL production in enteroaggregative E. coli and also the first report of CTX-Mproducing organisms encountered on the Arabian Peninsula.