  The multidrug resistant Escherichia coli strains causes multiple clinical
infections and has become a rising problem globally. The
metallo-\b{eta}-lactamases encoding genes are very severe in gram-negative
bacteria especially E. coli. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of
MBLs among the clinical isolates of E. coli. A total of 65 E. coli isolates
were collected from various clinical samples of Malaysian patients with
bacterial infections. The conventional microbiological test was performed for
isolation and identification of E. coli producing MBLs strains in this
vicinity. Multidrug Resistance (MDR) of E. coli isolates were assessed using
disk diffusion test. Phenotypic methods, as well as genotypic- PCR methods,
were performed to detect the presence of metallo-\b{eta}-lactamase resistance
genes (blaIMP, blaVIM) in imipenem resistant strains. Out of 65 E. coli
isolates, 42 isolates (57.3%) were MDR. The isolates from urine (19) produced
significantly more MDR (10) isolates than other sources. Additionally, 19
(29.2%) imipenem resistant E. coli isolates contained 10 MBLs gene, 7(36.8%)
isolates contained blaIMP and 3(15.7%) isolates contained blaVIM genes. This
study revealed the significant occurrence of MBL producing E. coli isolates in
clinical specimens and its association with health risk factors indicating an
alarming situation in Malaysia. It demands an appropriate concern to avoid
failure of treatments and infection control management.
