The emergence and rapid spread of carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter (EPA) species is becoming a major public health crisis worldwide, and is responsible for large number of hospital-acquired and nosocomial infections. In this article, we review the current knowledge on the classification, phylogeny and genetic platforms of the main carbapenemases already described in Gram-negative bacteria.
Keywords: Acinetobacter; Enterobacteriaceae; Pseudomonas; carbapenemases; multidrug-resistant bacteria.
© 2014 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2014 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.