In this prospective, observational, multicentre study using data from five countries (Columbia, The Philippines, Portugal, Taiwan and Thailand), the clinical impact of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms on hospitalised patients with community-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infections (CA-cIAIs) was compared with that of non-ESBL-producing organisms during the period April 2010 to December 2011. Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) requiring surgery or percutaneous drainage were enrolled and were followed during the first hospitalisation course. An unadjusted statistical comparison of risk factors for ESBL-positive and ESBL-negative patients was performed. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to assess whether length of stay (LOS) in hospital, clinical cure rate and some important clinical characteristics were associated with ESBL positivity. During the study period, a total of 105 adult patients from five countries were enrolled, of whom 17 (16.2%) had CA-cIAI due to ESBL-positive organisms and 88 (83.8%) had CA-cIAI due to ESBL-negative organisms. Escherichia coli was isolated in 73.3% of all samples. Infections were cured in 8 (47.1%) of the patients with CA-cIAI due to ESBL-positive organisms and in 59 (67.0%) of the patients with CA-cIAI due to ESBL-negative organisms (P = 0.285). The median LOS was 11.6 days for patients with infections due to ESBL-negative organisms and 17.6 days for patients with infections due to ESBL-positive organisms (P = 0.011). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-existing co-morbidities, but not ESBL positivity, were adversely associated with clinical cure of CA-cIAIs. In contrast, duration of hospitalisation was longer for patients with CA-cIAI due to ESBL-positive organisms.