Colorex ESBL

Focus on ESBL Resistance 

ESBL (Extended Spectrum β-Lactamases) are enzymes that mediate resistance to penicillins, extended-spectrum third generation cephalosporins (C3G) and monobactams.

ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae started to appear in the 1980s, and have since emerged as some of the most significant hospital-acquired infections with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella sp. being the main actors but other Gram-negative species have also been observed.

Medium Performance

Colorex™ ESBL Supplement added to Colorex™ Orientation contributes to the rapid screening of Gram-negative ESBL-producing bacteria.

Colorex™ ESBL Supplement allows the detection of ESBL-producing bacteria while inhibiting the growth of other bacteria, including most of those carrying ampC type resistance. This is an important feature because intrinsic ampC resistance has less epidemic relevance, but often leads to ESBL false positive reading in the classical testing methods.

Detection of resistant isolates is difficult based on routine susceptibility testing performed by a clinical microbiology laboratory, while with Colorex ESBL Supplement:

1. Detection after overnight incubation of Gram-negative bacteria expressing a reduced susceptibility to antibiotics of the C3G family.

2. Good species identification thanks to the chromogenic performances of supplemented Colorex™ Orientation. Indeed, the product is composed of a powder base Colorex™ Orientation and a supplement to enhance ESBL-producing bacteria.

3. High sensitivity (99,2%) and Specificity (89%)

4. Time and workload savings: there is no need of a selective pre-enrichment.

5. Flexibility: Colorex ESBL Supplement is supplied in powder form with a shelf-life of more than 12 months. This allows for flexibility of use, whether in an epidemic situation with many patients to screen, or whether for random surveillance of cultures.