Molecular characterization of IMP and NDM resistance genes in carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates in urine.

INTRODUCTION

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, implicated in urinary tract infections, represent a major challenge and limit therapeutic options. Our study sought to characterize the genes of resistance to IMP and NDM in urine samples from patients in the city of Ouagadougou by real-time PCR.

METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study focused on 130 bacterial isolates collected from February to July 2023 at HOSCO and CERBA. The determination of the enterobacterium species was followed by the performance of an antibiogram. Gene detection consisted of the extraction of bacterial DNA and its amplification by real-time PCR.

RESULT: 60 isolates came from male patients (46.2%) and 70 from female patients (53.8%), for a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.85 and an age between 51 days and 83 years, including 87.7% over 20 years. The most frequent species were respectively Escherichia coli (64.6%), Klebsiella sp. (30.8%), Proteus sp. (3.1%) and Enterobacter cloacae (1.5%). Resistance to imipenem for all Enterobacteriaceae strains was 19.2% and the majority gene was NDM (70%). The IMP gene was rare with only one positive case (0.8%) which was a coexistence of the 2 genes IMP and NDM.

CONCLUSION

The NDM gene could be a cause of resistance to antibiotics, particularly imipenem, and special attention should be paid to Escherichia coli in the fight against the emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Real-time PCR could serve as a routine analytical technique to facilitate obtaining more reliable results in a short timeframe.