Beta lactamase continues to be the leading cause of resistance to
beta lactam antibiotics in
gram-negative bacteria. A total of 50 clinical isolates of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa were studied to determine the
prevalence of ESBL
production in
hospital strains and also to study their susceptibility to various other
antimicrobial agents. ESBL
production was observed in a total of 18/50 (36%) of cases. Most of the ESBL positive isolates showed resistance to 3rd generation
cephalosporins including
multidrug resistance (MDR) to
antibiotics like
piperacillin,
nalidixic acid,
ciprofloxacin,
levofloxacin,
gentamicin and
tobramycin. The ESBL producers however showed good susceptibility to
drugs like
meropenem,
gatifloxacin and
amikacin.