Wide spread of OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Algerian hospitals: A four years' study

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in Algerian hospitals and to characterize the molecular types of carbapenemases found. During a four years study lasting between 2012 and 2015, 81 strains of Enterobacteriaceae with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems were collected from different hospitals. Carbapenemase genes were detected by PCR. Multi locus sequence typing was used to study genetic relationships between carbapenemase- producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Among 56 confirmed CPE, blaOXA-48 was detected in 98.21% of isolates. Two isolates co-expressed NDM, and a single one was only an NDM producer. The strains displayed various susceptibility patterns to antibiotics with variable levels of resistance to carbapenems. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed the presence of multiple sequence types in circulation. This report highlights the wide distribution of several clones of OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Algeria. Urgent action should be taken to avoid epidemic situations.