Dear Editor,
We read with interest the report on ‘Detection of CTX-M-15 Among Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated From Five Major Hospitals in Tripoli, Libya’ published in the July 2017 issue of the Oman Medical Journal.1 The authors concluded that the study “stresses the importance of specific surveillance to optimize empiric treatment of uropathogenic E. coli”.1 In fact, the surveillance might be useful but not practical due to the high laboratory costs to implement the surveillance system, making the task seem impossible in several poor developing countries. In addition, it requires collective data from several molecular epidemiology studies for the empirical treatment of E. coli to be adjusted. The use of a new highly effective drug against the resistant strain has to be carefully considered since this can add to the problem of resistance. The test for CTX-M-15 might be appropriate for use in specific cases with empirical treatment failure.
references
- 1. Zorgani A, Almagatef A, Sufya N, Bashein A, Tubbal A. Detection of CTX-M-15 among uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from five major hospitals in Tripoli, Libya. Oman Med J 2017;32(4):322-327.