Purpose: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae  (CRE) have been increasingly reported worldwide and pose a serious public threat, but the clinical significance of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production in CRE is not well established.
Patients and methods: A retrospective case–case–control study was conducted to identify the clinical characteristics of patients with ESBL-CRE. The susceptibility of isolates obtained from these patients was assessed. The detection of ESBL and carbapenemase-related genes was performed by PCR methods. Predictors of 30-day mortality in patients with ESBL-CRE infection were also identified in our study.
Results: A total of 149 patients with CRE infection caused by Enterobacter cloacae  (n=74), Escherichia coli (n=38), and Klebsiella pneumoniae  (n=37) were identified in Chongqing, Southwestern China, between January 2011 and December 2014. Of the 35 isolates detected with carbapenemase-related genes, 16 isolates had New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM), nine isolates had K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), seven isolates had imipenemase (IMP), and four isolates had oxacillinase (OXA)-1. One strain of enterobacter cloacae  carried both NDM-1 and IMP-8 genes. ESBL isolates included the genes CTX-M (72/149), SHV (64/149), and TEM (54/149). All ESBL-CRE isolates exhibited ertapenem resistance, and the rate of cephalosporin resistance was relatively high in general. Independent risk factors for infection with ESBL-CRE included previous exposure to β-lactam antibiotics, transfer from another hospital, and some underlying diseases. In addition, solid tumors, hypoalbuminemia, and central venous catheters were independent predictors of mortality in patients with ESBL-CRE infection.
Conclusion: Physicians should understand the peculiar predictors for the identification of these organisms among high-risk patients.
Keywords: risk factors, carbapenem, resistance, ESBL, mortality