Prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from blood culture in a tertiary care hospital.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from blood culture in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: We carried out this study at the Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period between January 2003-December 2004. We tested a total of 601 isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae from blood culture for the prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production by the standardized disc diffusion method and confirmed by the ESBL E test strips.