Identification of blaOXA-51-like, blaOXA-58, bla DIM-1, and blaVIM carbapenemase genes in hospital Enterobacteriaceae isolates from Sierra Leone

Abstract

We describe the results of a molecular epidemiological survey of 15 carbapenemase-encoding genes from a recent collection of clinical isolates from Mercy Hospital in Bo, Sierra Leone. The most salient findings revealed that (i) 60% of the isolates harbored multiple carbapenemase genes; (ii) the bla DIM-1 gene, which has previously only been reported in The Netherlands, is also circulating in this environment; and (iii) bla OXA-51-like and blaOXA-58 genes, which were thought to reside exclusively in Acinetobacter species, can also be found in members of the Enterobacteriaceae. © 2013, American Society for Microbiology.