Identification of Escherichia coli strains in the vaginal cultures of healthy women and their patterns of antibiotic resistance.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginitis in women of childbearing age, and it predominantly affects young sexually active women. Escherichia coli is one of the most common bacteria found in the genital tract of non-pregnant (9–28%) and pregnant women (24–31%). E. coli strains can colonize the vaginal and endocervical regions in pregnant women, and may lead to the development of urinary tract, intra-amniotic or puerperal infections. Aim of the study: Isolation and identification of the antibiotic resistance patterns of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and non-producing E. coli in the vaginal cultures of healthy women. Material and methods: Vaginal samples were taken from 55 healthy women. For the bacterial identification and resistance patterns, automated equipment from Beckman Coulter was used. Phenotypic techniques were used to confirm the presence or absence of ESBL. Results: Fifty-five cultures developed E. coli, with the rest of the strains corresponding to different bacteria. Of the 55 E. coli cultures, 35 (63.63%) were ESBL-producing and 20 (36.36%) did not produce ESBL. There was an 80% resistance to penicillin, and a 76.4% and 65.5% resistance to the first and fourth generation cephalosporins, respectively. A 45.5% resistance was observed for the fluoroquinolones, 52.7% for trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole, and 100% sensitivity to carbapenemics and amikacin. Conclusions: A large presence of vaginal ESBL-producing E. coli was observed in healthy women, which increases the risk of therapeutic failure due to high levels of antibiotic resistance.