Molecular detection of OXA carbapenemase genes in multidrug-resistant isolates from Iraq and Georgia

Ia Kusradze (1) , Seydina M. Diene (2) , Marina Goderdzishvili (1) , Jean-Marc Rolain (2)

1 George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology [Tbilisi, Georgia]
2 URMITE - Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes

The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility to imipenem (IPM) of isolates from different countries and to characterise the carbapenemase-encoding genes in IPM-resistant isolates. A total of 12 strains collected in Belgium ( = 2), Iraq ( = 8) and Georgia ( = 2) were included in the study. Identification of the isolates was confirmed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by the disk diffusion method, and Etest was used to determine the IPM minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of resistant isolates. The presence of carbapenemase-encoding genes was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All isolates were eventually identified by MALDI-TOF MS with high score values. Among the 12 strains, 6 were found to be resistant to IPM (MICs ≥ 16μg/mL), comprising clinical isolates from wound infections of soldiers who were injured either during the Iraq war in 2007 (5 isolates) or during the Georgian-Russian war in 2008 (1 isolate from Georgia). All isolates contained IS and , but isolates from Iraq contained the gene located on a plasmid whereas the isolate from Georgia contained the gene located on the chromosome. None of the IPM-resistant isolates contain the - or -encoding genes. In conclusion, these results re-emphasise the worldwide dissemination of OXA carbapenemase genes in multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of and, to the best of our knowledge, reports the first IPM-resistant strain isolated from a patient during the Georgian-Russian war with the gene located on the chromosome.

Mots clés: Acinetobacter baumannii; Carbapenem-resistant; OXA carbapenemase; enes; NDM-1

Domaines: Microbiologie et Parasitologie

Ia Kusradze, Seydina M. Diene, Marina Goderdzishvili, Jean-Marc Rolain. Molecular detection of OXA carbapenemase genes in multidrug-resistant isolates from Iraq and Georgia. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2011, 38 (2), pp.164. ⟨10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2011.03.021⟩. ⟨hal-00711304⟩