Following the rapid increase of infections due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in Italy, the national surveillance of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to CPE (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli) was instituted in 2013. All CPE-BSI cases reported to the surveillance in the years 2014-17 were analysed in order to investigate incidence rate (IR), trend, main individual characteristics and enzymes involved in CPE resistance. Throughout this period, 7,632 CPE-BSI cases (IR: 3.14/100,000 inhabitants) were reported from all 21 regions and autonomous provinces in Italy, with an increasing number of reported cases (2014: 1,403; 2015: 1,838; 2016: 2,183; 2017: 2,208). CPE-BSI cases mainly occurred in subjects aged over 60 years (70.9%) and more frequently in males (62.7%) than in females. Most of the cases originated in hospitals (87.2%), mainly in intensive care units (38.0%), and were associated with central or peripheral venous catheter use (23.9%) or with urinary tract infections (21.1%). Almost all CPE-BSI (98.1%) were due to K. pneumoniae carrying the K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) enzyme (95.2%). These data show that carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae are endemic in our country, causing a high number of BSI and representing a threat to patient safety.
Keywords: Italy; bloodstream infections; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae; surveillance.