VIM-2-producing multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa ST175 clone, Spain

Area of Science:

• Clinical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Molecular Epidemiology

Background:

• Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PA) poses a significant threat in healthcare settings.
• Nosocomial infections caused by MDR-PA are associated with high morbidity and mortality.
• Surveillance and characterization of emerging MDR-PA clones are crucial for effective infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular epidemiology and drug resistance patterns of MDR-PA isolates from a Spanish hospital between 2007 and 2010.
• To identify and characterize dominant MDR-PA clones contributing to the increasing prevalence.

Main Methods:

• Molecular epidemiologic analysis including genotyping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST).
• Drug resistance profiling of identified isolates.
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect specific resistance genes (blaVIM-2, blaIMP-22).

Main Results:

• A significant increase in MDR-PA prevalence from 2.8% to 15.3% was observed between 2007 and 2010.
• A single major clone, identified as sequence type (ST) 175, accounted for 56.8% of isolates.
• The ST-175 clone predominantly carried the blaVIM-2 gene and exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics, with susceptibility only to amikacin and colistin.

Conclusions:

• The emergence and rapid dissemination of the MDR-PA ST-175 clone represent a major public health concern.
• This clone's resistance profile compromises therapeutic options for P. aeruginosa nosocomial infections.
• Enhanced surveillance and infection control measures are necessary to manage the spread of such high-risk clones.