[KPC carbapenemases: what is at stake in clinical microbiology?]

Emergence and dissemination of carbapenem resistance in the world represent a significant threat for management of hospital-acquired infections. From the early 2000s, Enterobacteriaceae that produce Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC) have initially been reported from the USA and now worldwide, becoming the most important carbapenemase. These KPC producing-bacteria are mostly involved in nosocomial and systemic infections. They are mostly Enterobacteriaceae and more rarely Pseudomonas aeruginosa. KPC beta-lactamases confer decreased susceptibility or resistance to virtually all beta-lactams. Therefore, carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem, ertapenem) may become inefficient for treating enterobacterial infections with KPC-producing bacteria, which are in addition resistant to many other non beta-lactam molecules, leaving only few available therapeutic options. Detection of KPC-producing bacteria may be difficult based on routine antibiotic susceptibility testing. Several phenotypic tests have been proposed, but until now, only molecular methods are reliable techniques for their identification. It is therefore critical to implement efficient infection control measures to detect patients who are colonized or infected with these pathogens in order to limit their spread.