Molecular detection of carbapenemase genes in WHO priority pathogens from blood cultures of sepsis patients in Pakistan.
TL;DR
There was a high prevalence of CR-GNB among septicemia patients, emphasizing the need for strict infection control measures to prevent their spread, and the need for strict infection control measures to prevent their spread.
Abstract
Aims
This study aimed to assess the antibiogram patterns of CR-GNB and to characterize carbapenemase-encoding genes among isolates obtained from patients with sepsis.
Methods
A total of 3,746 blood culture samples were collected from patients with suspected septicemia and samples were processed using the BACTEC blood culture system, and all positive cultures were sub-cultured onto blood agar and MacConkey agar plates for isolation. Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed using the VITEK 2 compact system following CLSI guidelines. Detection of antimicrobial resistance genes was carried out by PCR using gene-specific primers.
Results
Of 3,746 blood cultures, 873 (23.3%) were positive, yielding 577 (66.1%) Gram-negative isolates. Among these, 212 (24.3%) were CR-GNB, predominantly A. baumannii (41.5%), and K. pneumoniae (21.2%). MIC of meropenem among CR-GNB isolates ranged from >128 µg/mL to <1024 µg/ml. Overall, 47.2% of isolates were inhibited at 624µg/mL, followed by 38.2% at 312 µg/mL, and 12.7% at 156 µg/ml. In CR-A. baumannii, blaOXA-23 and blaNDM were detected in 71.6% and 62.5% of isolates, respectively. blaNDM was also present in K. pneumoniae (43.8%), and E. coli (40.7%). .
Conclusion
There was a high prevalence of CR-GNB among septicemia patients, emphasizing the need for strict infection control measures to prevent their spread.