First national surveillance of susceptibility of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. to antimicrobials in Israel

The Impact of a Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Outbreak on Facilitating Development of a National Infrastructure for Infection Control in Israel

In 2006 the Israeli healthcare system faced an unprecedented outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, primarily involving KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clonal complex CC258. This public health crisis exposed major gaps in infection control. In response, Israel established a national infection control infrastructure. The steps taken to build this infrastructure and benefits realized from its creation are described here.

The erratic antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacterial pathogens causing urinary tract infections

Increasing trend of antibiotic resistance and expression of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases (ESBLs) are serious threats for public health as they render the treatment ineffective. Present study was designed to elucidate the antibiotic-susceptibility patterns of ESBL and non-ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae causing urinary tract infections so that the ineffective antibiotics could be removed from the line of treatment. The bacterial isolates obtained from the urine of patients visiting a tertiary health care facility were cultured for strain identification using API20E. Antimicrobial susceptibility and ESBL detection were done by Kirby-bauer diffusion technique. Almost 53.4 % isolates of E. coli and 24.5 % isolates of K. pneumoniae were found to be ESBL producers. The ESBL producing bacteria were found to be more resistant towards various antibiotics. The most effective drugs against E. coli ESBL isolates were imipenem (99.54 %), ampicillin-sulbactam (97.48 %), piperacillin-tazobactam (96.86 %), fosfomycin (94.51 %), amikacin (92.26 %) and nitrofurantoin (90.68 %). The most effective drugs against K. pneumoniae ESBL isolates were imipenem (97.62 %), piperacillin-tazobactam (95.35 %), ampicillin-sulbactam (90.48 %) and amikacin (88.37 %). The antibiotics having the highest resistance, particularly by the ESBL producers were amoxicillin clavulanic acid, sulphamethoxalzole/ trimethoprim, cefuroxime, cefpirome, ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. Most of the isolates showed multi drug resistance (MDR). High frequency of ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae were observed as compared to previous data. Penicillins, cephalosporins and some representatives of fluoroquinolones were least effective against the common UTIs and are recommended to be removed from the line of treatment.

Stable susceptibility to aminoglycosides in an age of low level, institutional use

Introduction

The use of aminoglycosides has decreased dramatically over several decades in the United States due to the introduction of safer Gram-negative agents. This study was conducted to assess possibly changing aminoglycoside susceptibility rates between 2006 and 2012 and in reference to 1992 use in the context of aminoglycoside use volume.

Methods

Quarterly adult use of amikacin, gentamicin and tobramycin were determined from the Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, pharmacy drug use database and expressed as total aminoglycoside defined daily doses per 1,000 patient days for the years 1992 and 2006 through 2012. Annual susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, for the years 1992, 2006, and 2008 through 2012 were retrieved from our hospital’s clinical microbiology database (duplicate isolates were excluded). Quarterly and annualized aminoglycoside usage rates were compared to the other years of interest. Likewise, susceptibility rates of the target organisms to each aminoglycoside were also compared across the same timeframe.

Results

While total use of aminoglycosides decreased slightly from 1992 to 2006, it increased by about 40% between 2006 and 2008 and then stabilized. Changes in susceptibility rates between 1992 and 2006 were all ≤±9% with the exception of K. pneumoniae susceptibility to amikacin (−17%). Changes in susceptibility from 1992 to 2012 were also all ≤±9%. Tobramycin remained the most active versus P. aeruginosa (% susceptible = 90), while amikacin remained most active versus E. coli and K. pneumoniae (% susceptible = 98 and 98, respectively).

Conclusion

With low level use of aminoglycosides in our institution over the past 2 decades, the susceptibility of key Gram-negative pathogens has remained relatively stable, preserving these agents as potential alternative therapies as resistance arises to other frequently used antibiotics.

Rapid evolution and spread of carbapenemases among Enterobacteriaceae in Europe

Plasmid-acquired carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae, which were first discovered in Europe in the 1990s, are now increasingly being identified at an alarming rate. Although their hydrolysis spectrum may vary, they hydrolyse most β-lactams, including carbapenems. They are mostly of the KPC, VIM, NDM and OXA-48 types. Their prevalence in Europe as reported in 2011 varies significantly from high (Greece and Italy) to low (Nordic countries). The types of carbapenemase vary among countries, partially depending on the cultural/population exchange relationship between the European countries and the possible reservoirs of each carbapenemase. Carbapenemase producers are mainly identified among Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, and still mostly in hospital settings and rarely in the community. Although important nosocomial outbreaks with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been extensively reported, many new cases are still related to importation from a foreign country. Rapid identification of colonized or infected patients and screening of carriers is possible, and will probably be effective for prevention of a scenario of endemicity, as now reported for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (mainly CTX-M) producers in all European countries.

The effects of group 1 versus group 2 carbapenems on imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa: an ecological study

Use of the group 2 carbapenems, imipenem and meropenem, may lead to emergence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistance. The group 1 carbapenem ertapenem has limited activity against P. aeruginosa and is not associated with imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (IMP-R PA) in vitro. This retrospective, group-level, longitudinal study collected patient, antibiotic use, and resistance data from 2001 to 2005 using a hospital database containing information on 9 medical wards. A longitudinal data time series analysis was done to evaluate the association between carbapenem use (defined daily doses, or DDDs) and IMP-R PA. A total of 139 185 patient admissions were included, with 541 150 antibiotics DDDs prescribed: 4637 DDDs of group 2 carbapenems and 2130 DDDs of ertapenem. A total of 779 IMP-R PA were isolated (5.6 cases/1000 admissions). Univariate analysis found a higher incidence of IMP-R PA with group 2 carbapenems (P < 0.001), aminoglycosides (P = 0.034), and penicillins (P = 0.05), but not with ertapenem. Multivariate analysis showed a yearly increase in incidence of IMP-R-PA (3.8%, P < 0.001). Group 2 carbapenem use was highly associated with IMP-R PA, with a 20% increase in incidence (P = 0.0014) for each 100 DDDs. Group 2 carbapenem use tended to be associated with an increased proportion of IMP-R PA (P = 0.0625) in multivariate analysis. Ertapenem was not associated with IMP-R PA. These data would support preferentially prescribing ertapenem rather than group 2 carbapenems where clinically appropriate.

In vitro properties of BAL30072, a novel siderophore sulfactam with activity against multiresistant gram-negative bacilli

BAL30072 is a new monocyclic beta-lactam antibiotic belonging to the sulfactams. Its spectrum of activity against significant Gram-negative pathogens with beta-lactam-resistant phenotypes was evaluated and was compared with the activities of reference drugs, including aztreonam, ceftazidime, cefepime, meropenem, imipenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam. BAL30072 showed potent activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter sp. isolates, including many carbapenem-resistant strains. The MIC(90)s were 4 microg/ml for MDR Acinetobacter spp. and 8 microg/ml for MDR P. aeruginosa, whereas the MIC(90) of meropenem for the same sets of isolates was >32 microg/ml. BAL30072 was bactericidal against both Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa, even against strains that produced metallo-beta-lactamases that conferred resistance to all other beta-lactams tested, including aztreonam. It was also active against many species of MDR isolates of the Enterobacteriaceae family, including isolates that had a class A carbapenemase or a metallo-beta-lactamase. Unlike other monocyclic beta-lactams, BAL30072 was found to trigger the spheroplasting and lysis of Escherichia coli rather than the formation of extensive filaments. The basis for this unusual property is its inhibition of the bifunctional penicillin-binding proteins PBP 1a and PBP 1b, in addition to its high affinity for PBP 3, which is the target of monobactams, such as aztreonam.

Treatment with fluoroquinolones or with beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations is a risk factor for isolation of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella species in hospitalized patients

Antibiotic exposure exerts strong selective pressure and is an important modifiable risk factor for antibiotic resistance. We aimed to identify the role of various antibiotics as risk factors for the isolation of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella spp. in hospitalized patients at a tertiary-care hospital. A parallel multivariable model was created to compare two groups of cases with either nosocomially acquired ESBL- or non-ESBL-producing Klebsiella spp. to a common control group of hospitalized patients (a case-case-control design). Seventy-eight ESBL cases, 358 non-ESBL cases, and 444 controls were analyzed. Significant factors associated with the isolation of Klebsiella spp. were an age of >65 years, transfer from a health care facility, an intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and the presence of a comorbid malignancy or lung, hepatic, or renal disease. A propensity score was generated from the above, and our ability to discriminate between Klebsiella cases and controls (area under the receiver-operating-characteristic [ROC] curve, 0.78) was good. The ESBL phenotype was tightly linked with fluoroquinolone resistance (95% versus 18%, P < 0.001). Factors associated with isolation of ESBL Klebsiella spp. in a multivariable analysis, adjusting for the propensity score, included exposure to beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations (odds ratio [OR], 10.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 86.92) and to fluoroquinolones (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.37 to 5.97). Exposure to broad-spectrum cephalosporins was statistically associated with ESBL Klebsiella spp. only among the subgroup of patients not treated with fluoroquinolones. In our institution, where the ESBL-producing-Klebsiella phenotype is coselected with fluoroquinolone resistance, fluoroquinolone and beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations, rather than cephalosporins, are the main risk factors for ESBL isolates. Formulary interventions to limit the spread of ESBL-producing isolates should be tailored to each setting.

Characterization of multidrug resistant ESBL-producing Escherichia coli isolates from hospitals in Malaysia

The emergence of Escherichia coli that produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and are multidrug resistant (MDR) poses antibiotic management problems. Forty-seven E. coli isolates from various public hospitals in Malaysia were studied. All isolates were sensitive to imipenem whereas 36 were MDR (resistant to 2 or more classes of antibiotics). PCR detection using gene-specific primers showed that 87.5% of the ESBL-producing E. coli harbored the blaTEM gene. Other ESBL-encoding genes detected were blaOXA, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M. Integron-encoded integrases were detected in 55.3% of isolates, with class 1 integron-encoded intI1 integrase being the majority. Amplification and sequence analysis of the 5'CS region of the integrons showed known antibiotic resistance-encoding gene cassettes of various sizes that were inserted within the respective integrons. Conjugation and transformation experiments indicated that some of the antibiotic resistance genes were likely plasmid-encoded and transmissible. All 47 isolates were subtyped by PFGE and PCR-based fingerprinting using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), repetitive extragenic palindromes (REPs), and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC). These isolates were very diverse and heterogeneous. PFGE, ERIC, and REP-PCR methods were more discriminative than RAPD in subtyping the E. coli isolates.

Ertapenem resistance among extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates

Ertapenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae is rare. We report on an ertapenem-nonsusceptible phenotype among 25 out of 663 (3.77%) extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing K. pneumoniae isolates in a multicenter Israeli study. These isolates originated from six different hospitals and were multiclonal, belonging to 12 different genetic clones. Repeat testing using Etest and agar dilution confirmed ertapenem nonsusceptibility in only 15/663 (2.3%) of the isolates. The molecular mechanisms of ertapenem resistance in seven single-clone resistant isolates was due to the presence of ESBL genes (CTX-M-2 in four isolates, CTX-M-10 and OXA-4 in one isolate, SHV-12 in one isolate, and SHV-28 in one isolate) combined with the absence of OMPK36. Seven of 10 isolates initially reported as ertapenem nonsusceptible and subsequently classified as susceptible showed an inoculum effect with ertapenem but not with imipenem or meropenem. Population analysis detected the presence of an ertapenem-resistant subpopulation at a frequency of 10(-6). These rare resistant subpopulations carried multiple ESBL genes, including TEM-30, SHV-44, CTX-M-2, and CTX-M-10, and they lacked OMPK36. The clinical and diagnostic significance of the results should be further studied.

Diagnosis and treatment of extended-spectrum and AmpC beta-lactamase-producing organisms

OBJECTIVE

To review the laboratory diagnosis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC beta-lactamase-producing bacteria and evaluate potential treatment options.

DATA SOURCES

A PubMed search, restricted to English-language articles, was conducted (1966-May 2007) using the search terms ESBL, AmpC, diagnosis, detection, carbapenem, ertapenem, fluoroquinolone, cephalosporin, cefepime, tigecycline, and colistin. Additional references were identified through review of bibliographies of identified articles.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

All studies that evaluated laboratory methods for the detection of ESBLs and AmpC beta-lactamases and/or the treatment of these organisms were reviewed. All articles that were deemed to be clinically pertinent were included and critically evaluated.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Numerous laboratory techniques are available for the detection of ESBLs. In contrast, laboratory techniques for detection of AmpC beta-lactamases are limited, particularly for plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamases. Routine microbiologic testing may not detect ESBLs or AmpC beta-lactamases. Optimal antibiotic treatment options are derived from limited observational studies and case reports. Randomized clinical trials evaluating appropriate antibiotic treatment options are lacking. In vitro susceptibility does not always correlate with clinical outcomes. The use of imipenem was associated with the lowest incidence of mortality in patients with bacteremia due to ESBL-producing organisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Laboratory detection of ESBLs for most organisms is possible with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute-recommended testing. However, these tests can be associated with both false negative and false positive results, particularly with organisms that harbor both ESBL- and plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamases. No established guidelines exist for the detection of AmpC beta-lactamases. Imipenem and meropenem are superior to other antibiotics for the treatment of serious infections due to ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria. While in vitro data demonstrate that tigecycline, ertapenem, and colistin might be potential choices, clinical experience is lacking.