blaVIM mediated carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) is becoming a growing problem in tertiary healthcare facilities with the acquisition of metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) genes, specifically the Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-beta-lactamase (VIM) gene, making standard 37 -lactam-based treatment of this pathogen ineffective. A total of 240 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa of a high-volume intensive care unit were analyzed in this cross-sectional study to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and molecularly characterize the prevalence of blaVIM variants by PCR amplification. Phenotypic study showed resistance to carbapenem as 42.5 percent and molecular genotyping showed that 68.6 percent of the resistant groups carried blaVIM that was statistically significant in co-resistance with aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolones relative to VIM-negative strains. Thus, supremacy of the blaVIM-mediated resistance indicates the significant endangered state of health, so the urgent necessity is to implement molecular screening guidelines and limit empirical use of carbapenems.