Phenotypic and genotypic detection of carbapenemase production among gram negative bacteria isolated from hospital acquired infections

To identify the carbapenemase producing Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) by phenotypic methods and to confirm the presence of resistant genes using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).This was a prospective study carried out at the Department of Microbiology, Sri Venkata Sai Medical College and Hospital, Mahabubnagar, India, from March 2018-2021. All samples were screened for carbapenem resistance by disc diffusion method and the VITEKAmong the 1093 Gram-negative bacilli identified, 220 (17.0%) were resistant to carbapenems by both tested methods. Carbapenemase detection using the RAPIDECThis study suggests routine carbapenem resistance testing among multi-drug resistant-GNBs, as most of these infections occur in hospitals. In addition, there is a possibility that these highly antibiotic-resistant genes could spread to other bacteria resulting in further dissemination.