Abstract
Objective: Detect the presence of carbapenemases producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and associated epidemiologi¬cal, microbiological, and clinical characteristics of patients in our hospital<br>Methods: During 15 months period, all non duplicate Enterobacteriaceae isolates with reduced susceptibility to car¬bapenem detected by MicroScan WalkAway system and confirmed by E test were collected. These suspected isolates were further screened by modified Hodge test and carbapenemase inhibition discs to identify CPE.<br>Results: Out of 54 suspected Enterobacteriaceae isolates, 44 (88.5%) isolates were either extended spectrum beta-lac¬tamases (ESBLs) or AmpC producers with porin loss whereas 10 isolates (18.5%) were confirmed to produce carbapen¬emase representing (0.74%) of the total Enterobacteriaceae. Among these 10 isolates, 6 were OXA 48 producers and 2 isolates were class B and class A each. Six out of the 10 CPE were detected in ICU and specimen source was tracheal aspirate in 5 CPE isolates. All CPE isolates were sensitive to colistin and all but one to tigecycline. All patients had history of previous antibiotic exposure and hospital stays for more than 5 days.<br>Conclusion: Although CPE is not the main cause of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae in our setting, its emergence there represents a serious infection control and therapeutic challenge. This mandates its early detection using MHT and carbapenemase inhibition tests together with strict infection control measures to limit its spread. J Mi¬crobiol Infect Dis 2015;5(2): 57-62<br>Amina Kandeel,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egyp, Epidemiology of carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae in a general hospital, Amina Kandeel, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egyp, J Microbiol Infect Dis 2015; 5(2): 57-62 doi: 10.5799/ahinjs.02.2015.02.0177