High burden of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) fecal carriage at a teaching hospital: cost-effectiveness of screening in low-resource setting

BACKGROUND: Infections by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) have been continuously growing and pose challenge to health institution globally. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriacea (CRE) was identified as one of the MDR-GNB which has limited treatment options and higher mortality compared to those of sensitive strains. We report an increased burden of CRE fecal carriage at a hospital in the North-eastern region of Malaysia. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study from August 2013 to December 2015 was conducted in the Medical Microbiology & Parasitology laboratory of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, which is a tertiary teaching hospital with more than 700 beds. This hospital treats patients with various medical and surgical conditions. Suspected CRE from any clinical specimens received by the laboratory was identified and confirmed using standard protocols. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed to determine the genotype. RESULTS: Altogether, 8306 Enterobacteriaceae was isolated from various clinical specimens during the study period and 477/8306 (5.74%) were CRE. Majority of the isolated CRE were Klebsiella [408/477, (85.5%)], of which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant species, 388/408 (95%). CRE were mainly isolated from rectal swab (screening), 235/477 (49.3%); urine, 76/477 (15.9%); blood, 46/477 (9.6%) and about 7.1% from tracheal aspirate. One hundred and thirty-six isolates were subjected to genotype determination and., 112/136 (82.4%) showed positive detection of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) gene (bla (NDM1)). CONCLUSION: The study noted a high numbers of CRE isolated especially from rectal swabs. Active screening results in significant cost pressures and therefore should be revisited and revised, especially in low resource settings.