CARBAPENEM RESISTANCE PROFILE AMONGST ESCHERICHIA COLI AND KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN AHMEDNAGAR, MAHARASHTRA

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), specially three species of the Enterobacteriaceae family, the Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Escherichia have developed resistance to a group of antibiotics called "Carbapenems", which are often used as the last line of treatment when other antibiotics are not effective in treating infections caused by them. Aim of the study: The present study was carried out to detect carbapenem resistance profile among Escherichia coli & Klebsiella pneumoniae. Materials & Methods: Cultures were obtained from consecutive specimens like urine, pus, sputum and blood collected from indoor as well as outdoor patients of our hospital. Specimens were processed for culture and identification according to standard techniques. Cultures yielding only Escherichia coli & Klebsiella pneumoniae were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar plates by the standard Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method recommended by CLSI against imipenem and meropem. The diameters of zone of inhibition were recorded as sensitive, resistant or intermediate sensitive according to the CLSI criteria. Results & Observations: Total 206 isolates were surveyed. Urine & pus were the commonest specimens which isolated Escherichia coli & Klebsiella pneumoniae. 58.82% & 8.82% E. coli were resistant to meropenem & imipenem respectively. Similarly, 53.84% & 30.76% K. pneumoniae were resistant to meropenem & imipenem respectively. Conclusion: K. pneumoniae and E. coli are commonly encountered pathogens from clinical specimens and exhibit resistance to carbapenems. E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates showed higher resistance to meropenem (58.82% and 53.84%, respectively) as compared to imipenem (8.82% and 30.76% respectively). K. pneumoniae shows greater resistance to carbapenems as compared to E. coli.