First Organisms with Acquired Metallo-β-Lactamases (IMP-13, IMP-22, and VIM-2) Reported in Austria

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) hydrolyze penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems. Organisms with acquired MBLs emerged in the late 1980s in Japan and since the mid-1990s have been identified worldwide. They include numerous species, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa playing the major role. Of several MBL families, VIM and IMP types are the most prevalent, being coded by gene cassettes inside class 1 integrons (4, 14, 17).