Epidemiological, clinical, and microbiological characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infection in the Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is an important pathogen in nosocomial infections; nevertheless, only a few studies regarding CPE infection and its epidemiological factors have been conducted in the Republic of Korea (ROK). We aimed to analyze the clinical, microbiological, and epidemiological characteristics of CPE bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the ROK. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included data collected from the National Surveillance System from January 2015 to December 2016 based on the epidemiologic survey performed by an epidemiologist from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We selected patients with CPE BSI from the Korea National Institute of Health based on carbapenemase genotyping. RESULTS: In this study, 131 CPE BSIs were identified, and the proportion of CPE BSI among total CPE isolates was 7%. Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for 69% of all CPE BSIs, and 66% of these produced K. pneumoniae carbapenemase. Among nine provinces in ROK, one province had NDM as the most common carbapenemase. CPE was susceptible to amikacin, tigecycline, and gentamicin (76, 41, and 39%, respectively). Of 29 patients tested for colistin sensitivity, one patient showed colistin resistance. The most common CPE BSI sources were pneumonia, primary bacteremia, and biliary tract infection. Multivariable analysis showed that adequate antibiotic use at CPE detection was significantly associated with decreased 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: CPE BSIs are prevalent in the ROK. Moreover, most CPE BSIs originated from hospital-acquired infection, demonstrating the need to improve hospital infection control strategies. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-019-0497-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.