A clinical strain of Escherichia coli possessing CMY-2 plasmid-mediated amp C beta-lactamase: an emerging concern in pediatrics?

A 5-year-old child was colonized by an isolate of Escherichia coli that transferred resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and cefoxitin. This resistance phenotype was encoded on a >75-kb plasmid pLRM 22. The transferable plasmid contained both blaCMY-2 and blaTEM-1b. Increasing reports of CMY-2 beta-lactamase in clinical isolates in children raise concerns about the empiric use of third-generation cephalosporins in this patient group.