Epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in the Middle East: a systematic review

Introduction: The Middle East is actually recognized as endemic for carbapenemases-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) including at least OXA-48-like and NDM-like.Areas covered: We performed a search of PubMed and Scopus using relevant keywords. We included peer-reviewed articles published only in English reporting any data on carbapenemase-producing bacteria from Middle East countries. The last literature search was performed on 26 October 2019. All studies describing carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales isolated from humans, animals or environmental samples from the Middle East were included.Expert opinion: The Middle-East is considered an endemic region for CPE strains and the extensive international exchange could facilitate the spread of CPE from these countries to other parts of the Globe in which the prevalence of the CPE is low. The expansion of the Middle East conflict has been associated with the rapid collapse of the existing health care system of the concerned countries. Considering that Millions of refugees have fled their country, they could introduce these CPE strains in countries with low endemicity. In conclusion, the health care system actors should take in a count the endemicity of CPE in these countries and develop local surveillance programs to limit the spread of these MDR bacteria.