Prevalence and Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Gram-Negative Bacteria in Gabon

Data collection and monitoring of carbapenemase-producing (CP) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are often limited. This study determined CP-GNB prevalence in Gabon and the genetic origins of the resistance genes. From January 2016 to March 2018, 869 clinically significant GNB isolates from inpatients and outpatients, and 19 fecal samples (inpatients) were analyzed in the main hospitals of Gabon. Fecal samples were screened using ChromID® CARBA SMART selective chromogenic medium biplates. Species were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested using the disk diffusion method on Müller–Hinton agar, and resistance genes were assessed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Overall, 1.61% of clinical isolates (14 of 869) and 5.26% of fecal samples (1 of 19) were CP-GNB. The CP-GNB rate was higher among inpatients (2.98%) than outpatients (0.33%), in intensive care units (28.57%, 4 of 14), and in urine samples (35.71%, 5 of 14). The most common CP-GNB were Klebsiella pneumoniae (53.33%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (26.67%). blaOXA-48 was the predominant carbapenemase-encoding gene (40%), followed by blaNDM-5 (33.33%). The A. baumannii multilocus sequence types ST2 and ST78, Enterobacter cloacae ST78, Escherichia coli ST2, and K. pneumonia ST48 and ST147 were found. These data indicate that CP bacteria are present in clinical and carriage samples. Preventive measures are needed to avoid the spread of resistance genes.