Investigation of the Presence of New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase-1 (NDM-1) by PCR in Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Isolates

Bacteria producing New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) exhibit high level resistance to beta-lactams including carbapenems. This broad-spectrum resistance limits treatment options for infections caused by NDM-1 producers. NDM-1 was first isolated from an Indian patient in Sweden; since then, NDM-1 producing isolates have been identified in many countries including Turkey. In this study, we investigated the presence of NDM-1 by PCR method in various gram-negative isolates recovered from clinical specimens in tertiary care hospitals in Samsun, Turkey. A total of 210 carbapenem-resistant gram-negative isolates (132 Acinetobacter baumannii, 54 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 5 Pseudomonas putida, 8 Enterobacter cloacae, 3 Enterobacter aerogenes, 3 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2 Providencia rettgeri; 2 Escherichia coli and 1 Citrobacter freundii) were included in the study. Identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates were performed by using Vitek-2 Compact (bioMerieux, France) and BD Phoenix (BD Diagnostic Systems, MD) automated systems. The results of antibiotic susceptibility testing were interpreted according to the CLSI recommendations. In our study, NDM-1 gene was not detected in any of the clinical isolates by PCR. There was only one case study that reported the presence of NDM-1 in clinical isolates from Turkey [Poirel L et at Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012;56:2784]. Our data, together with the others, indicated that the existence of NDM-1 in clinical isolates is not common in Turkey. However, since NDM-1 is a plasmid-encoded enzyme, there is always a risk of spread of this resistance through the bacterial strains in our country Therefore, continuous surveillance and investigation of carbapenem-resistant isolates with resistance patterns suggestive of NDM-1 may enable to identify NDM-1 producing isolates. Meanwhile special care should be given on rational antibiotic use and establishment of appropriate infection control policies to prevent the spread of NDM-1 producers and other potential resistant strains.