Abstract Background Carbapenems are essential antibiotics used to treat severe nosocomial infections. However, the misuse of these antibiotics has led to the emergence of carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs), posing significant public health threats. This study aims to determine the prevalence and phenotypic profile of carbapenem resistance (CR) in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) in selected healthcare facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods A retrospective study was conducted across 65 healthcare facilities in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (NE) from January 2018 to June 2021. Results from GNB isolates - including Enterobacterales , Acinetobacter , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa - obtained from various clinical samples were collected and assessed for CR using CLSI guidelines at all locations. MDR-CRO prevalence was calculated within each bacterial group using total isolates of that group as the denominator at each time point. Results Of the 77,228 GNB collected, 3,829 (5%) MDR-CROs were identified. Within the MDR-CROs subset, Enterobacterales accounted for 65.8% (48.7% of which were Klebsiella pneumoniae ), P. aeruginosa 28.6%, and Acinetobacter 5.6%. In contrast, period prevalence calculated within total isolates of each organism group was highest for MDR-CR Acinetobacter (22.8%), followed by MDR-CR P. aeruginosa (12.9%), and MDR-CR Enterobacterales (5.6%). A significant increase in MDR-CR Acinetobacter was observed in the NE in mid-2021, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals were the primary source of MDR-CR isolates, accounting for more than 90% of Acinetobacter and P. aeruginosa cases, and 62.6% of Enterobacterales cases. Carbapenems nonsusceptibility varied among bacterial species. Conclusions This study highlights the increasing CR burden of Acinetobacter , P. aeruginosa , and K. pneumoniae in the UAE. Regional variations in resistance, particularly the MDR-CR Acinetobacter surge in the NE during the COVID-19 pandemic, stress the need for tailored infection control measures and antimicrobial stewardship.
Aljaede et al. (Fri,) studied this question.