480. Molecular Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens in Three Tertiary Care Hospitals in Egypt

BACKGROUND: High rates of AMR among Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) have been reported from Egypt for almost 2 decades. Surveillance and identifying the genetic basis of AMR provide important information to optimize patient care. As there is no adequate data on the genetic basis of AMR in Egypt, we aimed to identify the molecular characterization of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogens (GNP). METHODS: Three major tertiary-care hospitals in Egypt participated in the “Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends” (SMART) from 2014 to 2016. Consecutive GNPs were identified and their susceptibility to antimicrobials were tested. Molecular identification of ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenemase resistance genes was conducted on MDR isolates. RESULTS: We enrolled 1,070 consecutive Gram-negative isolates; only one isolate per patient according to the standard protocol of (SMART). During 2014–2015, 578 GNP were studied. Enterobacteriaceae comprised 66% of the total isolates. K. pneumoniae and E. coli were the most common (29.8% and 29.4%). K. pneumoniae and E. coli were the predominant organisms in IAI (30.5% and 30.1%, respectively) and UTI (and 38.9% and 48.6%, respectively), while Acinetobacter baumannii was the most prevalent in RTI (40.2%). ESBL producers were phenotypically detected in 53% of K. pneumoniae, and 68% of E. coli. During 2016, 495 GNP were studied. ESBL continued to be high. For E. coli and K. pneunomiea, the most active antimicrobials were amikacin (≥93%), imipenem/meropenem (≥87%) and colistin (97%). Genetic study of ertapenem-resistant isolates and 50% of isolates with ESBL phenotype revealed ESβL production in more than 90% of isolates; bla(CTXM-15) was detected in 71.4% and 68.5% in K. pneumoniae and E. coli, respectively, bla(TEM-OSBL) in 48.5% and47.5% of K. pneumoniae and E. coli, respectively. Carbapenem resistance genes were detected in 45.4% of isolates. In K. pneumoniae, OXA-48 dominated (40.6%), followed by NDM1 (23.7%) and OXA-232 (4.5%). CONCLUSION: Our study detected alarming rates of resistance and identified many resistance mechanisms in clinical isolates from Egyptian hospitals. These high rates highlight the importance of continuous monitoring of the resistance trend and discovering the novel resistant mechanisms of resistance, and the underscores a national antimicrobial stewardship plan in Egypt. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.