Multicenter Performance Assessment of Carba NP Test

Eighty Gram-negative bacilli (54 and 26 nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli) obtained from multiple institutions in the United States were distributed in a blinded manner to seven testing laboratories to compare their performance of a test for detection of carbapenemase production, the Carba NP test. The Carba NP test was performed by all laboratories, following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) procedure. Site-versus-site comparisons demonstrated a high level of consistency for the Carba NP assay, with just 3/21 site comparisons yielding a difference in sensitivity ( < 0.05). Previously described limitations with carbapenemases and carbapenemases associated with were noted. Based on these data, we demonstrate that the Carba NP test, when implemented with the standardized CLSI methodology, provides reproducible results across multiple sites for detection of carbapenemases.