Clinical Information

The global spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter species (organisms not susceptible to carbapenem antimicrobials) is a critical public health issue. These bacteria are often resistant to all beta-lactam agents and, frequently, are also resistant to multiple classes of other antimicrobial agents leaving very few treatment options. Tracing the spread of organisms not susceptible to carbapenems is complicated by the diversity of carbapenem-hydrolyzing enzymes that have emerged and the ability of the genes to spread among multiple bacterial species.