Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales among hospitalized patients in Cape Town, South Africa: clinical and microbiological epidemiology.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a substantial problem in Cape Town. CRE epidemiology is largely unknown and mortality remains high.

OBJECTIVES: To describe and characterize the clinical and microbiological epidemiology of CRE within Cape Town hospitals to better inform therapy with regard to current and novel antibiotics, as well as improve antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), and infection prevention and control (IPC).

METHODS: This prospective, multicentre study performed between 1 November 2020 and 30 November 2022, across three public and three private hospitals included hospitalized participants with CRE from clinical cultures. Participant demographics, clinical information and microbiology results were collected and analysed.

RESULTS: Ninety percent of participants were from public hospitals. The age distribution ranged from 7 days to 88 years. Notable risk factors for CRE infection included recent exposure to antibiotics, medical devices and surgery. The most prevalent species was Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, a higher proportion of Serratia marcescens compared with previous reports was identified. The detected carbapenemases were bla OXA-48-like (80%) and bla NDM (11%). With the exception of amikacin (63%), tigecycline (65%), colistin (95%) and ceftazidime/avibactam (87%), susceptibility to antibiotics was low.

CONCLUSIONS: This study identified common risk factors for CRE infection and generated a description of carbapenemase enzymes, species distribution and antibiograms, enabling a better understanding of CRE epidemiology. This provides insights into transmission patterns and resistance determinants of CREs, beneficial to informing data-driven regional patient management, AMS and IPC strategies.