MOLECULAR AND GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION AND PREVALENCE OF ESBL-PRODUCING E. COLI STRAINS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES (Literature Review)

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global public health problem, exacerbated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics in human medicine and animal husbandry. Bacteria that produce extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), which confer resistance to critically important β-lactam antibiotics, pose a particular danger. Among these, Escherichia coli plays a significant role, being widespread both in the normal microbiota and as a pathogen causing various diseases in humans and animals. Resistant E. coli strains are capable of being transmitted through the food chain and exchanging resistance genes, contributing to the rapid spread of AMR. The phylogenetic classification of E. coli (groups A, B1, B2, and D) allows for the differentiation of commensal and pathogenic strains, which is important for epidemiological surveillance, prevention, and treatment of infections.