Multicenter Survey for Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriales in Central Japan

Abstract Background: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriales (CPE) are resistant to many antimicrobial agents and raise concerns about its treatment options as well as its infection control. Methods: It was conducted a multicenter study between 2015 and 2019 in order to clarify the molecular epidemiology of CPE in the Central Japan region.Results: Out of the 56,494 Enterobacteriales strains detected during the timeframe of this study, 341 (0.6%) strains which met our criteria were analyzed. 65 out of 341 strains were determined to be CPE, and the incidence rate of CPE in Enterobacteriales was 0.12% (65/56,494). Most of which were IMP-1 and only three were IMP-6 types. Three Escherichia coli strain producing NDM-5 were detected and MLST analysis also showed the ST78 type was most predominant in the E. cloacae complex CPE (n = 14, 60.9%). On the other hand, various STs were detected in CP-K. pneumoniae, in which ST37 and ST517 were the most common ST types. Conclusion: The incidence rate of CPE was slightly higher than the national data registers for this region, and it was possible to detect the spread of ST78 of carbapenemase-producing E. cloacae complex across hospitals by using this limited three-month follow-up analysis, which indicated the need to strengthen regional infection control programs.