Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae — a Worsening Problem

The prevalence of these lethal bacteria is increasing, particularly in long-term acute care facilities.

Enterobacteriaceae — gram-negative constituents of the normal gut flora — can cause life-threatening invasive disease. In recent decades, resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics has become more common in these bacteria. Physicians in the U.S. (where carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae [CRE] were relatively uncommon before 2000) counted on imipenem, meropenem, doripenem to treat infections caused by these resistant pathogens. But now the picture is changing.

In a recent study, investigators used data from the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, the Surveillance Network (TSN; an electronic repository of susceptibility-test results from 300 laboratories in the U.S.…

Reviewing Author

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

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Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter