title: AmpC-BETA Lactamases amongEnterobacteriaceaeIsolated at a Tertiary Hospital, South Western Uganda.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterizeAmpC-beta lactamases amongEnterobacteriaceaeisolates from clinical samples at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory-based descriptive cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Microbiology Department, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital and MBN clinical Laboratories, between May to September 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 293Enterobacteriaceaeisolates recovered from clinical specimens that included blood, urine, stool and aspirates.AmpC Beta lactamase production was determined using disc placement method for cefoxitin at a break point of <18mm. CommonAmpCplasmid mediated genes wereEBC, ACC, FOX, DHA, CITand MOX were; was determined by Multiplex PCR as described by Hanson and Perez-Perez.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasmid mediatedAmpC phenotype was confirmed in 107 of the 293 (36.5%) cefoxitin resistant isolates with 30 isolates having more than one gene coding for resistance. The commonest source that harboredAmpC beta lactamases was urine andE. coliwas the most commonAmpC producer (59.5%). The genotypes detected in this study, included EBC (n=36), FOX (n=18), ACC (n=11), CIT (n=10), DHA (n=07) and MOX (n=1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings showed that prevalence ofAmpC beta-lactamase at MRRH was high (39.6), with EBC as the commonest genotype amongEnterobacteriaceaeUrine andE. coliwere the commonest source and organism respectively that harboredAmpCbeta-lactamases. There's rational antimicrobial therapy and antibiotic susceptibility tests should be requested by health workers especially patients presenting with urinary tract infections and bacteraemias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Makerere College of Health sciences, P.O 7072 Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Freddie
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bwanga
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itabangi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Iramiot J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Mwambi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bazira
keywords: AmpC beta lactamase; Enterobacteriaceae; antibiotic; resistant