Resistance of clinical strains of pathogenic E. coli to antibiotics and bacteriophage in hospitalized children with escherichiosis in St. Petersburg

The data on the resistance frequency of the diarrheagenic E. coli isolates to antibacterial agents and a specific bacteriophage are presented. The strains were isolated from hospitalized children in St. Petersburg in 2011-2013 and belonged to three groups, i.e. enteropathogenic (EPE), enterotoxigenic (ETE) and enteroinvasine (EIE). It was shown that in the children aged from 1 month to 18 years the average antibiotic resistance was maximum in the EIE isolates and decreased in the following order: EIE (15.2%), EPE (6.0%), ETE (3.3%). The clinical EIE isolates showed no resistance to the new generation cephalosporins (cefuroxime, cephepime) and nitrofurans. The E. coli isolates of the three groups were characterized by high resistance to a specific bacteriophage which decreased in the following order: ETE (44.8%), EIE (37.0%), EPE (28.8%). The multiple resistance of the diarrheagenic E. coli isolates of the three groups to the antibacterials averaged 2.8%. The maximum frequency of resistance of the clinical isolates of the three groups to nalidixic acid was observed: EIE - 28.6%, EPE - 26.3%, ETE - 9.1%. The results of the study may be useful in the tactics of therapy of diarrheagenic E. coli infection in children.