Caracterización molecular de aislados de Enterobacter cloacae resistentes a carbapenemes portadores de los genes blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM y blaOXA-48, provenientes de la red de laboratorios públicos y privados del Valle del Cauca

Abstract

The production of beta-lactamase enzymes by some species of enterobacteria is a serious public health problem because it causes the loss of therapeutic efficacy to beta-lactam antibiotics, which are currently used as the first alternative for the management of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, the molecular characterization of 32 phenotypically resistant Enterobacter cloacae clinical isolates of cephalosporins and carbapenemes, from a private and a public entity, located in the city of Cali, was carried out. In order to detect the genes involved in resistance to these antibiotics, the polymerase chain reaction technique was used to amplify the genes encoding carbapenemases: KPC, NDM, VIM and OXA-48. It was obtained that 50% (16/32) of the isolates are carriers of the blaKPC gene, while the presence of blaNDM, blaVIM and blaOXA-48 genes was not detected. The results of this study indicate that the allele that circulates in the isolates is KPC-2 and that they are not genetically related. The results indicate that 81% of patients infected with the enterobacteria carrying KPC carbapenemase come from private medical centers, 81% are male and 44% of those affected are older adults (60 years and older). Knowing the genes involved in carbapenemes resistance in these clinical isolates is an important step towards the development of specific strategies to prevent the spread of this multi-drug resistant pathogen in the municipality of Cali.