OBJECTIVES To investigate the β-lactamase background of ertapenem non-susceptible isolates for the presence of the most commonly detected carbapenemase genes, bla(KPC), bla(OXA-48) and bla(VIM), and the newly described bla(NDM-1). METHODS Two hundred and thirty-five ertapenem-non-susceptible (MIC ≥ 0.5 mg/L) isolates of Enterobacteriaceae from the worldwide Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial ...

Background & Objective: The spread of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a global concern. Metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) enzymes cause extensive drug resistance among Gram-negative bacteria. The current study aimed at determining the prevalence of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa in Iran. Methods<...

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections, and antibiotic resistance of this pathogen is an important concern in treating such infections. The current work was conducted to investigate the prevalence of bla-IMP, and bla-VIM metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) among clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolates obtained from ICUs of different hospita...

To the Editor: Carbapenem-hydrolyzing enzymes of the VIM-type (six different variants are known: VIM-1, VIM-2, VIM-3, VIM-4, VIM-5, and VIM-6) are new molecular class B metallo-β-lactamases. These enzymes have recently been identified in carbapenem-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other gram-negative nonfermenters from European countries in the Koh et al., GenBank accession no. ...

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are increasingly reported worldwide and cause therapeutic problem in health care facilities. In this study 28 imipenem-resistant K. pneumoniae were examined for expression of carbapenemases by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Modified Hodge Test (MHT), CarbaNP test were used for phenotypic detection, and PCR using specific primers for the detection of bl...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (n=183), collected from bacteraemic patients hospitalised in Sao Paulo Hospital (Brazil) during 2000-2001, were screened for susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. The polymyxins were the most active compounds (100% susceptibility), followed by amikacin and cefepime (59.0%), meropenem (57.4%), and imipenem and gentamicin (55.2%). Imipenem-resistant isolates were...

We report the interspecies transfer of the bla(VLM-4) gene in MBL-producing Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from a newborn patient who had received meropenem therapy. We show evidence that gene bla(VIM-4) was transmitted as a part of the class-1 integron on a ca. -90 kb conjugative plasmid. High homology of nucleotide sequence was observed between the integron found in V...

The prevalence of imipenem resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates at a 195-bed tertiary care medical center in Cali, Colombia, rose from 2% in 1996 to 28% in 1997 and to over 40% in 2003. Many isolates showed high-level multiresistance, and phenotypic characterization suggested the spread of a predominant strain with minor variants. Sixty-six resistant isolates collected between Febru...

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has become a serious health threat worldwide due to the limited options available for its treatment. Understanding its epidemiology contributes to the control of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and molecular characteristics of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates in five tertiary-ca...

OBJECTIVES To develop a single multiplex real-time PCR assay to detect six different genetic types of carbapenemases already identified in Enterobacteriaceae (KPC, GES, NDM, IMP, VIM and OXA-48). METHODS A total of 58 bacterial isolates were tested. Thirty were previously characterized as resistant to carbapenems and documented by PCR and sequencing analysis to carry the following genes: bla(...