Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, and fluoroquinolones in urinary isolates of Escherichia coli from outpatient settings: trends from 2017 to 2021 in France

The 2022–2025 National Strategy for Infection Prevention and Antibiotic Resistance sets resistance targets for Escherichia coli in outpatient care of less than 3% for third-generation cephalosporins (3GC), 10% for fluoroquinolones (FQ), and 0.5% for carbapenems by 2025. This article describes trends in resistance rates to these classes of antibiotics among urinary E. coli isolates reported by private clinical laboratories participating in the Primo national surveillance program between 2017 and 2021. A decrease in resistance to C3Gs was observed between 2017 and 2021 (3.4% vs. 3.2%). The percentage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains followed the same trend at the national level (3.0% in 2017 and 2.8% in 2021), as well as in the majority of participating regions. The percentage of fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance tended to increase between 2017 and 2021 (11.4% vs. 12.7%). FQ resistance varied significantly by region in 2021 (8.6% to 19.6%), increasing in 7 regions and decreasing in 7 others. The number of carbapenemase-producing strains isolated from urine samples in a laboratory cohort increased from 0.59 to 0.84 per 10,000 susceptibility tests between 2019 and 2021. In light of the national strategy for the prevention of antibiotic resistance, resistance indicators have been met in some regions, but further efforts are needed in others to ensure that the objectives are achieved by 2025.

Author(s): Lemenand Olivier, Thibaut Sonia, Coëffic Thomas, Caillon Jocelyne, Birgand Gabriel

Publishing year: 2023

Pages: 458-464

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2023, n° 22-23, p. 458-464

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