Three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated image of a group of extended-spectrum B-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs) bacteria, in this case, Escherichia coli. The artistic recreation was based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery. Extended-spectrum B-lactamase is an enzyme that allows bacteria to become resistant to a wide variety of penicillins and cephalosporins. Bacteria that contain this enzyme are known as ESBLs or ESBL-producing bacteria. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae are resistant to strong antibiotics including extended spectrum cephalosporins. An estimated 140,000 healthcare-associated Enterobacteriaceae infections occur in the US each year. Approximately 26,000 infections and 1,700 deaths are attributable to ESBLs. See the links below for more on the subject of E. coli, as well as microbial drug resistance.