Rapid detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae from blood cultures

The biochemical-based Carba NP test has been evaluated to detect carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (n = 193) directly from spiked blood cultures. It was able to rapidly detect KPC (n = 50), IMP (n = 27), VIM (n = 37), NDM (n = 33) and OXA-48-like producers (n = 46) with sensitivity and specificity of 97.9% and 100%, respectively. This cost-effective technique may be implemented in any microbiology laboratory and offers a reliable test for an early identification of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae directly from blood culture that could be useful for the management of infected patients.