[Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae in the Netherlands: unnoticed spread to several regions]

- Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), including Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, are only sporadically seen in the Netherlands and then mainly in patients who have been transferred from foreign hospitals.- CPE are resistant to virtually all beta-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems, e.g., meropenem and imipenem. Several genes, e.g., OXA-48, KPC and NDM-1, code for carbapenemase enzymes that deactivate carbapenems.- Control of CPE focuses on timely identification of patients who are infected or are carriers and the application of preventive measures to prevent spread.- Genotypic analysis of CPE isolates submitted to the national CPE surveillance revealed close relationships between 8 NDM-1 positive K. pneumoniae isolates of patients from different parts of the Netherlands and isolates obtained through contact tracing during a known hospital outbreak.- Based on retrospective epidemiological investigation, no shared exposure could be found.- These findings indicate unnoticed spread of CPE in the Netherlands.