Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Published on: March 3, 2023
Infection outbreaks caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales: An epidemiological surveillance study in
Cristian Lara1,2, Mauro Orsini1, Mónica Pohlenz1
1Infection Control National Programme (PNCI), Ministry of Health Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Background:
Infectious outbreaks caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in hospitals constitute a global health threat.
Objective:
To characterise CPE infectious outbreaks in public hospitals in Chile during 2017-2024.
Methods:
Retrospective epidemiological surveillance study using national public health data across three periods: baseline pre-pandemic (2017-2019), pandemic (2020-2022), and post-pandemic (2023-2024).
Results:
Seventy-two CPE outbreaks, 945 associated cases and 21 attributable deaths were notified. Median CPE outbreak size in the pre-pandemic period (4 cases) peaked during the pandemic (7 cases) and recovered afterwards post-pandemic (4 cases). Median outbreak duration decreased over time (pre-pandemic period: 75 days; pandemic: 45 days; post-pandemic: 9 days). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the primary cause (83.3% of outbreaks, 92.6% of cases) and KPC the most common carbapenemase detected (54.2% of outbreaks, 53.7% of cases). OXA-48-like and KPC + NDM co-production were observed from 2021 onwards, and IMP was first identified in 2024.
Conclusions:
The size of CPE outbreaks in Chilean public hospitals increased significantly during the pandemic and shrunk back to pre-pandemic values afterwards. CPE outbreak duration decreased sharply from the pandemic onwards. Since 2021, carbapenemases detected in CPE hospital outbreaks have diversified in Chile.
Related Concept Videos
Investigation of Disease Outbreaks
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
Cholera
Reservoir of Infection
