Prevalence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern India: A Pilot Study

In recent years, a wide range of clinical infections are being caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is a matter of great concern, as carbapenem-resistant infections have fewer treatment options. The Enterobacterales comprises a large group of bacterial species commonly causing infections in healthcare settings. The most common bacteria are Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of carbapenemresistant Enterobacterales, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii, in a tertiary care center in India. The study was conducted over a period of seven months, from May 2022 to November 2022. The specimens were processed at the Microbiology Laboratory of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences- Pradyumna Bal Memorial Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Standard procedures were used to process the clinical specimens brought to the laboratory. Carbapenem-resistant isolates were screened according to the CLSI 2022 guidelines. This study included 3,006 isolates of Enterobacterales, A. baumannii, and P. aeruginosa. Of these, 29.40% (n = 844) were found to be carbapenem resistant. The breakup is as follows: 689 (77.94%) were Enterobacterales, 108 (12.21%) were A. baumannii, and 87 (9.84%) were P. aeruginosa. Thus, our investigation revealed an overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, A. baumannii, and P. aeruginosa of 29.40%, which corresponds to previous studies in India. Early patient screening, isolation, and contact prevention measures will help reduce infection transmission. Further, larger multi-centric studies are required to obtain a wider perspective regarding this issue.