PREVALÊNCIA DE CARBAPENEMASES EM ENTEROBACTÉRIAS RESISTENTES A CARBAPENÊMICOS EM QUATRO HOSPITAIS TERCÁRIOS DE PORTO ALEGRE.

BACKGROUND: The spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) in Brazil and the recent detection of bacteria producing New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) in a tertiary care hospital in Porto Alegre indicate the need to evaluate the presence of these enzymes in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of carbapenemases in CRE in four tertiary care hospitals in Porto Alegre using multiplex real-time PCR. METHODS: Descriptive study from April to December 2013. Bacterial isolates from hospitalized patients were identified by VITEK 2 automated system, with antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Samples with CRE isolates were sent to the reference laboratory for analysis using real-time PCR for identification of carbapenemases. RESULTS: Total of 701 isolates. The predominant CRE were K. pneumoniae (46% of positive samples) and Enterobacter cloacae (18%). The most frequent carbapenemases were KPC (48%), OXA-48-like (3%), and NDM-1 (2%). In 47% of the samples no carbapenemase was identified. Isolates originated from surveillance cultures were associated with higher positivity for carbapenemases than isolates from clinical samples (p<0.0001). CRE isolates belonging to the Proteae group (Proteus spp., Morganella spp., Providencia spp.) were associated with less positivity for carbapanemase than isolates of other CRE (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: KPC was the most frequently detected carbapenemase. The movement of an OXA-48-like enzyme was demonstrated, a novel and worrisome finding. The finding of carbapenemase NDM is also worrisome due to its dissemination potential. These data and further studies may contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of CRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]