Evaluation of Modified Rapid Carbapenem Inactivation Method (mrCIM) Combined with Rapid EDTA-Modified Carbapenem Inactivation Method (reCIM) to Detect Carbapenemase and Distinguish Metallo-Carbapenemase in Enterobacteriaceae Within Four Hours

Analysis on Bacterial Distribution and Change of Drug Resistance Rate in ICUs Across Southwest China from 2018 to 2022

Purpose

To analyze the distribution of bacteria and their drug resistance changes in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) across Southwest China from 2018 to 2022 and establish the antibiogram in this region to provide a basis for early empirical antimicrobial use.

Methods

Non-repetitive pathogens isolated from 109 member units with qualified data were obtained from the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Sichuan Province, southwest China. The results obtained were interpreted with reference to CLSI M100-31th, and analyzed with WHONET 5.6 software.

Results

A total of 46,728 clinical isolates in ICUs were collected from 2018 to 2022, of which gram-negative organisms accounted for 76.1%, and gram-positive were 23.9%. The top 5 were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. From 2018 to 2022, the resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae to imipenem and meropenem changed from 14.5% and 17.8% to 14.0% and 14.4%, showing a steady downward trend. Escherichia coli was always highly sensitive to carbapenems, with a total resistance rate of 3.8%. Among non-fermented gram-negative bacteria, the resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem and meropenem decreased significantly, changed from 25.3% and 22.9% in 2018 to 20.0% and 15.1% in 2022. However, Acinetobacter baumannii showed high resistance rates of 76.2% and 76.9% to imipenem and meropenem, respectively. MRSA and MRCNS accounted for 31.7% and 82.7%, respectively. No vancomycin and linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated. Enterococcus faecalis maintained high activity to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid; no vancomycin or teicoplanin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains were detected.

Conclusion

From 2018 to 2022, the isolated bacteria in ICU were mainly gram-negative bacteria, and the growth of some multidrug-resistant bacteria was effectively controlled. All levels of medical institutions should continue to strengthen bacterial resistance surveillance, promote the establishment of antimicrobial stewardship program, and enhance restrictions on outpatient antimicrobial use.

Performance Evaluation of the Gradient Diffusion Strip Method and Disk Diffusion Method for Ceftazidime-Avibactam Against Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A Dual-Center Study

Objectives: Ceftazidime–avibactam is a novel synthetic beta-lactam + beta-lactamase inhibitor combination. We evaluated the performance of the gradient diffusion strip method and the disk diffusion method for the determination of ceftazidime–avibactam against Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 302 clinical Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from two centers were conducted by broth microdilution (BMD), gradient diffusion strip method, and disk diffusion method for ceftazidime–avibactam. Using BMD as a gold standard, essential agreement (EA), categorical agreement (CA), major error (ME), and very major error (VME) were determined according to CLSI guidelines. CA and EA rate > 90%, ME rate < 3%, and VME rate < 1.5% were considered as acceptable criteria. Polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing were performed to determine the carbapenem resistance genes of all 302 isolates.

Results: A total of 302 strains were enrolled, among which 182 strains were from center 1 and 120 strains were from center 2. A percentage of 18.21% (55/302) of the enrolled isolates were resistant to ceftazidime–avibactam. The CA rates of the gradient diffusion strip method for Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa were 100% and 98.65% (73/74), respectively, and the EA rates were 97.37% (222/228) and 98.65% (73/74), respectively. The CA rates of the disk diffusion method for Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa were 100% and 95.95% (71/74), respectively. No VMEs were found by using the gradient diffusion strip method, while the ME rate was 0.40% (1/247). No MEs were found by using the disk diffusion method, but the VME rate was 5.45% (3/55). Therefore, all the parameters of the gradient diffusion strip method were in line with acceptable criteria. For 31 bla_KPC, 33 bla_NDM, 7 bla_IMP, and 2 bla_VIM positive isolates, both CA and EA rates were 100%; no MEs or VMEs were detected by either method. For 15 carbapenemase-non-producing resistant isolates, the CA and EA rates of the gradient diffusion strips method were 100%. Whereas the CA rate of the disk diffusion method was 80.00% (12/15), the VME rate was 20.00% (3/15).

Conclusion: The gradient diffusion strip method can meet the needs of clinical microbiological laboratories for testing the susceptibility of ceftazidime–avibactam drugs. However, the VME rate > 1.5% (5.45%) by the disk diffusion method. By comparison, the performance of the gradient diffusion strip method was better than that of the disk diffusion method.

Optimization of the rapid carbapenem inactivation method for use with AmpC hyperproducers

OBJECTIVES

Detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPEs) is sometimes difficult with AmpC-hyperproducing Enterobacterales (AHEs), as they may falsely be classified as CPEs. Here, we present a rapid Carbapenem Inactivation Method (rCIM) optimized for AmpC producers (rCIM-A) that allows rapid and easy discrimination between AHEs and CPEs.

METHODS

Enterobacterales (n = 249), including natural AmpC producers, AHEs, CPEs and non-carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant control strains were evaluated, using Carba NP, rCIM and rCIM-A. The rCIM-A differs from the rCIM by the addition of cloxacillin (400 μg/mL) to the initial antibiotic incubation step.

RESULTS

The rCIM-A yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 84.26% (95% CI: 76.00%-90.55%) and 99.29% (95% CI: 96.11%-99.98%), respectively, while those of the rCIM were 86.11% (95% CI: 78.13%-92.01%) and 80.85% (95% CI: 73.38%-86.99%), respectively; those of Carba NP were lower at 84.04% (95% CI: 75.05%-90.78%) and 91.37% (95% CI: 85.41%-95.46%), respectively, due to indeterminate results. The rCIM-A was capable of discriminating between AHEs and true CPEs, but still failed to identify OXA-23-producing Proteus mirabilis isolates and remained only partially reliable for identifying IMI-like producers and a few MBL (2 NDM-1, 1 LMB-1, 1 TMB-1 and 1 IMP-13) producers. One chromosomally encoded AmpC variant, MIR-10, gave repeatedly positive results using all three tests and was thus considered a false positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Specificity for AHEs greatly improved with the rCIM-A without altering the test performance for the other resistance mechanisms. It may replace the rCIM as a cheap, easy, rapid and accurate CPE detection test.

Performance Evaluation of BD Phoenix NMIC-413 Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Panel for Imipenem, Meropenem, and Ertapenem Against Clinical Carbapenem-Resistant and Carbapenem-Susceptible Enterobacterales

Purpose: The infection of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) has become a major clinical and healthcare problem worldwide. The screening methods of CRE have been extensively developed but still need improving [e.g., tests with accurate and simple minimum inhibitory (MICs)]. In this study, the performance of the BD Phoenix NMIC-413 AST panel was evaluated against clinical CRE and carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacterales (CSE) in China. The panel was first evaluated in the Chinese clinical lab.

Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 303 clinical Enterobacterales isolates were conducted by broth microdilution (BMD), Phoenix NMIC-413 AST panel, and disk diffusion method for imipenem, ertapenem, and meropenem. Considering BMD is a gold standard, essential agreement (EA), categorical agreement (CA), minor error (MIE), major error (ME), and very major error (VME) were determined according to CLSI guidelines. CA and EA > 90%, ME <3%, and VME <1.5% were considered as acceptable criteria. Polymerase chain reaction and sanger sequencing were performed to determine the β-lactamase genotypes of CRE isolates.

Results: Three hundred and three isolates included 195 CREs and 108 CSEs were enrolled according to the BMD-MIC values of three carbapenems. Tested CREs showing 100 bla_KPC−2-positive organisms, 31 bla_IMP-positive organisms, 28 bla_NDM-positive organisms, 5 bla_VIM-positive organisms, 2 both bla_IMP and bla_VIM-positive organisms, 2 bla_OXA−48-positive organisms, and 27 isolates without carbapenemase genes. For the Phoenix NMIC-413 method, CA and EA rates >93%, MIE rates <5%, ME rates <1.75%, and VME rates were 0%, across the three drugs. For the disk diffusion method, the CA rates for three drugs were all >93%, while the MIE and ME rates were all <5 and <3%, respectively. VME rate was 3.28% for imipenem, exceeded the cut-off value specified by CLSI M52, 0 and 0.56% for ertapenem and meropenem, separately.

Conclusion: Based on the genomic data, the detection of CRE and CSE was more reliable using the BD Phoenix NMIC-413 panel compared to the BMD and disk approaches. Therefore, our study supports the use of BD Phoenix NMIC-413 panel as a suitable alternative to BMD for the detection of carbapenem resistant isolates in a clinical setting.