ESBL-E. coli and K. pneumoniae colonising Cambodian children. Enterobacteriaceae

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are two bacterial pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae family that can cause a wide spectrum of clinical disease. Both species also asymptomatically colonise the gastrointestinal tract, a reservoir that assists in the acquisition and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are limited colonisation prevalence data with these organisms in Cambodia.This study aimed to: (i) estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal colonisation with ESC-resistant E. coli (ESC-R-EC) and K. pneumoniae (ESC-R-KP) in Cambodian children and adolescents, and the molecular mechanisms responsible; (ii) investigate risk factors for ESC-R colonisation; (iii) determine genetic relatedness of ESC-R strains.