Emergence of NDM-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Porto Alegre, Brazil

To evaluate the emergence of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1)-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates in Brazil.

From April to October 2013, following the detection of the first NDM-1-producing isolate, a surveillance study was performed for the detection of blaNDM-1 among Enterobacteriaceae isolates with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems in 17 hospitals of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Real-time PCR was used to determine the presence of carbapenemase genes, which were further sequenced. Clonal relatedness was assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

A total of 1134 isolates were evaluated. blaNDM-1 was detected in 11 (0.97%) isolates: nine Enterobacter cloacae complex (eight belonging to a single clone recovered from two distinct hospitals and the other strain from a third hospital) and two Morganella morganii (belonging to a single clone recovered from one hospital). Most isolates presented high-level resistance to carbapenems.

NDM-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae have emerged rapidly in the hospitals of the Brazilian city where they were first detected. The emergence of NDM-1 in Brazil is of great concern, since it is a severe threat to antimicrobial therapy against Enterobacteriaceae in this country.