Abstract
Objective: The emergence of Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in recent times has become a serious threat to public health due to the high mortality, potential dissemination rates and limited treatment options associated with these organisms. Thus, the present study was conducted in our tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, to retrospectively analyze the prevalence of CRE in the hospital.<br>Methods: The study was carried out in the microbiology department of the tertiary care hospital over a period of 12 months. The samples tested were clinical samples from hospitalized and Out-Patient Department (OPD) patients sent to the department for microbiological testing. CRE isolates were identified using the Vitek 2- Compact system (BioMérieux, France).<br>Results: A CRE prevalence rate of 12.26% was obtained from the study, from which the majority of the isolates were detected in urine samples (46%). Although most of the CRE isolates were detected in patient samples from the wards (42%) and the ICU (26%), a significant number of isolates was also detected from the OPD patients (19%).<br>Conclusion: Thus, the study shows a significant rate of carbapenem resistance among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from hospitalized and OPD patients. This emphasizes the urgent need for CRE control at the hospital and community level, and to rationalize the use of antibiotics. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2013;3(4): 87-90

Key words: Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Antimicrobial Stewardship