Extended-spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing-Enterobacteriaceae strains were detected in 12z (6 out of 50) of fecal samples collected from the inpatients of a Japanese pediatric hospital. All the ESBLs belonged to the CTX-M-1 group. The proportion of carriage of ESBL producers was higher among patients who had received antibiotics within the past 3 months and among those who had cardiologic diseases.

The clinical burden of extended-spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing pathogens has increased in pediatric care settings. Currently, the antimicrobial therapeutic options for treating infections caused by ESBL producers are limited. To the best of our knowledge, only a few studies have reported the fecal carriage of ESBL producers in pediatric populations. Therefore, we conducted a prospective study to determine the proportion of ESBL producers in the fecal carriage of inpatients in a pediatric tertiary care hospital in Japan. Nagano Children's Hospital is a tertiary referral pediatric hospital located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It houses a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), a neonatal ward, an obstetric ward, three pediatric wards, and a total of 160 beds.