Colonization and Healthcare-Associated Infection of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Data from Polish Hospital with High Incidence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Does Active Target Screening Matter?

The objective of the study was to analyse the incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at a provincial hospital from 2019-2021. Multiplex PCR was used to detect the presence of carbapenemase genes. There were 399 cases of CRE detected in total in the analysed period, including 104 healthcare-associated infections. Out of the isolated CRE, 97.7% were Klebsiella pneumoniae with OXA-48 or KPC genes. Overall, among the identified CRE genes, the most frequently present genes were the ones mediating oxacillinase OXA-48 (71%) and KPC (26%), and significantly less often New Delhi NDM metallo-beta-lactamase (2.5%). Moreover, two isolates produced two carbapenemases, i.e., OXA-48 and KPC. The conducted research demonstrates that there is a constant need for continuous monitoring of the occurrence of CRE strains and the hospital antibiotic policy, as well as the implementation of procedures to prevent CRE transmission by medical personnel and hospital support staff.

Automated summary

The study aimed to analyze the incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at a provincial hospital from 2019-2021. Multiplex PCR was used to detect carbapenemase genes. A total of 399 cases of CRE were detected, including 104 healthcare-associated infections. The most frequently present genes among the identified CRE strains were the ones mediating oxacillinase OXA-48 (71%) and KPC (26%), while New Delhi NDM metallo-beta-lactamase genes were less common (2.5%). Two isolates produced both OXA-48 and KPC carbapenemases. The study highlights the need for continuous monitoring and prevention measures to control the spread of CRE strains in hospitals.