Cross-Sectional Assessment on Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Patients in Moldova

Information on the molecular epidemiology and carbapenem resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacterial isolates in Moldova is scarce. To close this knowledge gap, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria were collected over an 11-month period in a routine diagnostic laboratory in Moldova. Anti...

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Main Authors: Vadim Nirca, Frieder Fuchs, Tessa Burgwinkel, Rocío Arazo del Pino, Ecaterina Zaharcenco, Ralf Matthias Hagen, Sven Poppert, Hagen Frickmann, Paul G. Higgins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/421
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Summary:Information on the molecular epidemiology and carbapenem resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacterial isolates in Moldova is scarce. To close this knowledge gap, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria were collected over an 11-month period in a routine diagnostic laboratory in Moldova. Antimicrobial susceptibility was phenotypically and genotypically assessed. Phylogenetic relationships were investigated and multi-locus sequence types were provided. The assessment indicated several clusters of phylogenetically closely related carbapenem-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> (sequence types ST101, ST395 and ST377), <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> (ST2, ST19 and ST78) and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> (ST357 and ST654) isolates next to a number of less frequently observed species and sequence types. A phylogenetic relationship to characterized isolates from neighboring Ukraine could be confirmed. Identified carbapenemase genes comprised <i>bla</i><sub>OXA-23</sub>, <i>bla</i><sub>OXA-72</sub> and <i>bla</i><sub>GES-11</sub> in <i>A. baumannii</i>, <i>bla</i><sub>KPC-3</sub>, <i>bla</i><sub>NDM-1</sub> and <i>bla</i><sub>OXA-48</sub> in <i>K. pneumoniae</i>, as well as <i>bla</i><sub>VIM-2</sub> in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. In conclusion, the assessment suggested the spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in Moldova which were partly pre-described from neighboring Ukraine, as well as likely spill-over events, facilitating the regional spread of carbapenem-resistant clones. Several isolates with very high genomic similarity further support the hypothesis of likely regional transmission events driven by several evolutionary successful clonal lineages.
ISSN:2076-2607