title: [Prevalence of Gram-negative bacteria harboring bla KPC gene in Colombian hospitals].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  KPC enzymes are carbapenemases with a great capability to disseminate and to cause epidemics. They are frequently associated with higher mortality rates and prolonged hospital stay. In Colombia, they have been progressively reported since 2007; however, its prevalence in hospitals is not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of bla KPC gene in hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The presence of bla KPC gene and its clonality were evaluated in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriacea and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospitalized patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 424 isolates tested during the study period, 273 met eligibility criteria, and 31.1% were positive for bla KPC gene; after clonality adjustment, positivity was 12.8%. The bla KPC gene was more frequent in Klebsiella pneumonia, followed by P. aeruginosa and other Enterobacteriacea . Although intensive care units (ICU) provided the majority of the isolates, the bla KPC pattern was not more prevalent in ICUs than in other wards. The respiratory tract was the anatomic source with the highest prevalence. No seasonality was observed associated with the frequency of isolation of microorganisms carrying bla KPC gene.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed a high prevalence of bla KPC gene in microorganisms isolated from different hospitals in Colombia. The extraordinary ability of bla KPC gene to spread, the difficulties for its diagnosis and the limited antibiotics available for its treatment pose the urgent need to strengthen epidemiological surveillance systems, and to timely adjust institutional policies for rational use of antibiotics in order to limit its dissemination to other institutions in the country.
authors: Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas, CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia.
authors: Robinson
authors: R
authors: Pacheco
authors: Grupo de Epidemiología y Salud Poblacional, Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
authors: Lyda
authors: L
authors: Osorio
authors: Adriana M
authors: AM
authors: Correa
authors: María Virginia
authors: MV
authors: Villegas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D015995:Prevalence; D018440:beta-Lactam Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001618:beta-Lactamases