Investigation of ${\beta}$-Lactamase-producing Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Non-Tertiary Care Hospitals in Korea

• Published in: Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 17; no. 10; pp. 1733 - 1737
• Main Authors: Sohn, Eui-Suk, Yoo, Jeong-Sik, Lee, Jeom-Kyu, Lee, Kyeong-Min, Chung, Gyung-Tae, Shin, Eun-Shim, Han, Sun-Young, Lee, Sang-Hee, Kim, Joon, Lee, Yeong-Seon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: VIM-2; OXA-10; Multidrug resistance; PER-1; Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• ISSN: 1017-7825; 1738-8872

A total of 2,280 nonduplicate clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, obtained nationwide from Korean non-tertiary care hospitals from 2002 to 2005, were identified and their susceptibilities to aminoglycosides, antipseudomonal penicillins, carbapenems, cephalosporins, monobactams, and quinolones were studied, together with their production of ${\beta}$-lactamases. Using disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration tests, it was found that 2.9% of isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa. An EDTA-disk synergy test, PCR amplification with specifically designed primers, and direct sequencing of the PCR products showed that the $bla_{OXA-10}$, $bla_{VIM-2}$, $bla_{OXA-2}$, $bla_{OXA-17}$, $bla_{PER-1}$, $bla_{SHV-12}$, and $bla_{IMP-1}$ genes were carried by 34.3%, 26.9%, 3.0%,3.0%, 1.5%, 1.5%, and 1.5% of 67 MDR P. aeruginosa isolates, respectively. The prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa was three-fold higher, compared with that from the United States. More than two types of ${\beta}$-lactamase genes were carried by 10.4% of isolates. The most prevalent ${\beta}$-lactamase genes were $bla_{VIM-2}$ and $bla_{OXA-10}$. This study is the first description of MDR P. aeruginosa trom non-tertiary care hospitals in Korea and the coexistence of the $bla_{VIM-2}$, $bla_{IMP-1}$, or $bla_{PER-1} in these clinical isolates.