Prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and its impact on clinical outcomes at a teaching hospital in Taiwan

Among 15 174 non-duplicated Enterobacteriaceae isolates, the prevalence of carbapenem-nonsusceptible Enterobacteriaceae (CNSE) was about 2.5% at a teaching hospital in Taiwan during 2010. Among 117 available isolates of CNSE, 8.6% carried genes encoding carbapenemases. Tigecycline and colistin were the most active agents against carbapenemase-producing and non-producing isolates. Patients infected with CNSE had an all-cause in-hospital mortality of 37.3%, and mortality was similar for infections from carbapenemase producers and non-producers (14-day mortality rates: 22.2% and 21.5%; 30-day mortality rates: 22.2% and 32.3%, respectively). Continuous surveillance of CNSE is recommended in Taiwan.