Abstract

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a relevant infectious agent affecting patients within health care setting; this situation is worsening with the appearance of strains resistance to carbapenems. Aims: To study carbapenemase production in P. aeruginosa with decreased susceptibility to carbapenems processed in the microbiology laboratory of the Health Network UC-CHRISTUS in 2014-2015 and compare them with the strains studied in 2004-2005. Methods: Between January 2014 and June 2015, 459 strains of P. aeruginosa from clinical samples were isolated. Susceptibility was determined by dilution in agar and strains with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems were tested for carbaNP. Positive strains were studied by PCR for bla(VIM), bla(VIM-1), bla(VIM-2), bla(IMP), bla(NDM), bla(OXA), and bla(IMI) genes. Pulsed field electrophoresis was performed on selected strains. Results: From 459 strains studied, 300 had reduced susceptibility to carbapenems (65.3%). Of these, 183 were viable for study, corresponding to 164 patients. The carbaNP test was positive in 44 strains of the 183 strains (24%). The resistance genes found were: bla(VIM-2) in 35 strains, bla(KPC-2+VIM-2) in 7 strains and bla(KPC-2) strains. In the bla(KPC-2) strains clonal relation between them was found. Conclusions: A 65.3% of P. aeruginosa presented decreased susceptibility to carbapenems being the presence of carbapenemases not the main resistance mechanism. In addition, the emergence in Chile of P. aeruginosa strains with bla of the KPC-2 type alone or in combination with VIM-2 is described.