Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), an emerging threat to public health, belong to a family of microorganisms that are difficult to treat because they are highly resistant to antibiotics.These bacteria can cause serious hospital-and community-acquired infections, such as bloodstream infections, wound infections, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. [1] Unlike Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resistance, which is mediated by a single mechanism in a single bacterial species, the mechanisms of carbapenem resistance are complex because they involve a broad range of organisms and are mediated by different mechanisms, such as the production of β-lactamases,efflux pump and porin mutations. [2] Carbapenemases are β-lactamases with versatile hydrolytic capacities. They hydrolyze penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems. Bacteria producing these β-lactamases may cause serious infections in which the carbapenemase activity renders many β-lactams ineffective. Carbapenemases are members of the Ambler class A, B, and D β-lactamases. The class A carbapenemase group includes members of the SME, IMI, NMC, GES, and KPC families. Of these, the KPC carbapenemases are the most prevalent,found mostly on plasmids in Klebsiella pneumoniae. [3] The first member of the KPC family was discovered through the ICARE surveillance project in a K. pneumoniae clinical isolate from North Carolina in 1996. [4] The gene encoding the KPC enzyme is usually flanked by transposon-related sequences and has been identified on conjugative plasmids,therefore,potential for dissemination is significant. [5,6,7] Isolates that acquire this enzyme are usually resistant to several other classes of antimicrobial agents used as treatment options. Laboratory identification of KPC-producing clinical isolates will be critical for limiting the spread of this resistance mechanism. [8] The most commonly used method for detection of CRE is the measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). MICs are important in diagnostic laboratories to confirm resistance of microorganisms to an antimicrobial agent. It is a quantitative measurement of antibiotic activity, and it is defined as the minimum concentration of an antibiotic that can inhibit visible microbial growth under normal conditions. [9,10] In 2009, CLSI published a recommendation that carbapenem susceptible Enterobacteriaceae with susceptible, but elevated MIC, be tested for the presence of the carbapenemase enzyme using the Modified Hodge Test (MHT). [11] In 2010, the CLSI changed
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