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The high level of faecal carriage of MDR E. coli in nursing home residents demonstrates their importance as a reservoir population. Public health measures to combat spread of these organisms should address the needs of this group.

bla(CTX-M-15) was plasmid-mediated in both strains A and D and was linked to other antibiotic resistance genes including aac(6')-Ib-cr, which encodes an acetyltransferase, not previously found in Europe, acting on both aminoglycosides and some fluoroquinolones. Although the plasmids from the two strains differed in size, both were related and conferred similar multi-drug resistance phenotypes, suggesting that they may share a similar genetic scaffold. Both shared features with plasmids encoding CTX-M-15 beta-lactamases in E. coli from Canada and India.

Most E. coli with CTX-M ESBLs belonged to virulent phylogenetic groups, mainly B2. The successful epidemic strains did not appear more virulent, but iutA and fyuA were significantly more prevalent among these than in non-clonal isolates also belonging to phylogenetic group B2. The most successful clone with CTX-M-15 enzyme (A) differed from other epidemic clones in harbouring afa/draBC, but this was also found in non-clonal isolates with CTX-M-15 enzyme.

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