To the Editor: Acquired metallo-ß-lactamase determinants in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other major bacterial pathogens are of concern for development of antimicrobial drug resistance. The carbapenemase and extended-spectrum cephalosporinase activity of metallo-ß-lactamases, as well as their resistance to ß-lactamase inhibitors, may severely limit the antimicrobial agents active against bacteria...

BACKGROUND Carbapenems are important drugs used for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, however metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) are able to efficiently hydrolyze these classes of drugs. Immediate detection of the MBL-producing P. aeruginosa is necessary in order to accurately treat infections caused by this organism. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of MBL producing P. aerugi...

Carbapenems, mainly imipenem and meropenem, are potent agents for the treatment of infections due to multiresistant Pseudomonas sp. clinical isolates. However, the prevalence of carbapenem resistance in this genus has been increasing worldwide. High-level resistance to carbapenems ( 32 g/ml) is still uncommon in Pseudomonas spp. but can be due to the presence of Ambler class B -lactamases—metal...

OBJECTIVES As part of the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme, 383 non-replicative randomly collected Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were collected during 1999-2002. These strains originated from three geographically distinct hospitals within Italy: Genoa (Northern Italy); Rome and Catania (Sicily), and were further studied to identify the prevalence of metallo-beta-lactamase (MbetaL) ...

A nationwide survey also established the presence of VIM-2,-5,-6 and-11 and the evolution of a new variant, VIM-18, from this country. 10 These studies indicate the dissemination of various MBL genes in the Indian subcontinent. Although NDM-1 hydrolyses almost all b-lactams efficiently, several of our isolates were found by disc diffusion testing to be susceptible to various carbapenems as well...