Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are a large, rapidly evolving group of enzymes that confer resistance to oxyimino cephalosporins and monobactams and are inhibited by clavulanate. Rapid reliable detection of ESBL production is a prerequisite for successful infection management and for monitoring resistance trends and implementation of intervention strategies. We evaluated the performance of the new VITEK 2 ESBL test system (bioMérieux, Inc, Hazelwood, Mo.) in the identification of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates. We examined a total of 1,129 clinically relevant Enterobacteriaceae isolates (including 218 that had been previously characterized). The ESBL classification furnished by the VITEK 2 ESBL test system was concordant with that of the comparison method (molecular identification of beta-lactamase genes) for 1,121 (99.3%) of the 1,129 isolates evaluated. ESBL production was correctly detected in 306 of the 312 ESBL-producing organisms (sensitivity, 98.1%; positive predictive value, 99.3%). False-positive results emerged for 2 of the 817 ESBL-negative isolates (specificity, 99.7%; negative predictive value, 99.3%). VITEK 2 ESBL testing took 6 to 13 h (median, 7.5 h; mean ؎ SD, 8.2 ؎ 2.39 h). This automated short-incubation system appears to be a rapid and reliable tool for routine identification of ESBL-producing isolates of Enterobacteriaceae.Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are a large, rapidly evolving group of plasmid-mediated enzymes (4,5,17,23,30,33,45) that confer resistance to the oxyimino cephalosporins and monobactams. They are inhibited by clavulanate (CA), sulbactam, or tazobactam. Originally observed in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., ESBL production has now been documented in other gram-negative bacilli, including Enterobacter spp., Proteus mirabilis, and Providencia stuartii (4,23,25,30,45).Laboratory detection of ESBL production can be problematic (4,23,27,30,33,45,49,52). The presence of these enzymes does not always elevate MICs of oxyimino cephalosporins and monobactams to levels indicative of resistance defined by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) (2, 10). Furthermore, because expression of resistance is affected by multiple factors, the same ESBL can produce different resistance phenotypes, depending on the bacterial carrier and test conditions (17, 23). There are also increasing reports of more-complex ESBL phenotypes that include additional mechanisms of resistance, such as AmpC-type enzyme production (both chromosomal and plasmid-mediated), TEM and SHV beta-lactamases with reduced affinities for beta-lactamase inhibitors, hyperproduction of penicillinase, and porin changes (4,6,8,17,23,26,32,34,39,49,(52)(53)(54).Several molecular methods are available for research and epidemiological studies, but they are not appropriate for routine detection of ESBL production in clinical settings (9, 36). Two phenotypic strategies can be used to detect ESBL expression in clinical settings. One involves analysis of MIC patterns with specific software...