Susceptibility Profiles, Molecular Epidemiology, and Detection of KPC-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates from the New York City Vicinity

The detection of Enterobacteriaceae carrying the carbapenemase KPC has been problematic. Thirty isolates of KPC-possessing Escherichia coli were gathered from hospitals in New York City and Connecticut. The imipenem, meropenem, doripenem, and ertapenem MIC50 values were 4, 2, 1, and 4 μg/ml, respectively. Over half of the isolates belonged to a single ribotype. Using an ertapenem breakpoint of 0.25 μg/ml would efficiently detect these isolates.