Distribution of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL)-Encoding Genes among Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens Collected from Three Different Countries.

The incidence of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-encoding genes ( and ) among Gram-negative multidrug-resistant pathogens collected from three different countries was investigated. Two hundred and ninety-two clinical isolates were collected from Egypt ( = 90), Saudi Arabia ( = 162), and Sudan ( = 40). Based on the antimicrobial sensitivity against 20 antimicrobial agents from 11 antibiotic classes, the most resistant strains were selected and identified using the Vitek2 system and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.