Detection of carbapenemase producers in Enterobacteriaceae by use of a novel screening medium.

A Drigalski agar-based culture medium containing an ertapenem, cloxacillin, and zinc sulfate (Supercarba medium) was tested for screening carbapenemase-producing members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. OXA-48 (n = 44), NDM (n = 25), VIM or IMP (n = 27), and KPC producers (n = 18) were detected with a low detection limit. Its overall sensitivity (95.6%) was higher than those of the currently available ChromID ESBL (bioMérieux) and CHROMagar KPC (CHROMagar) screening media. The Supercarba medium provides a significant improvement for detection of the most common types of carbapenemase producers.