Comparison of Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute standards in antimicrobial susceptibility among the carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae

Aim: Carbapenems are antibiotics reserved for treatment of severe infections. Carbapenem antimicrobial susceptibility testing profiles were determined in a population of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and their resistance assessed based on previous and current Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria. Materials & methods: Isolates were examined using an automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing method, and real time polymerase chain reaction to detect the resistance (blaKPC) gene. Results: The prevalence of blaKPC gene was 45/54 (83.3%). Five isolates that were susceptible under the previous criteria changed to nonsusceptible with the current standards. The overall difference in susceptibility between the standards was 8%. Conclusion: This study shows that the current Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria may not offer additional benefits in the fight against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.