Metallo-beta- Lactamase Producing Clinical Isolates in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Metallo-- lactamase (MBL) producing carbapenem resistant clinical isolates are an increasingly difficult problem in health care settings because of the treatment difficulties and rapid spread of these infections. The present study aims in detecting the MBL production among carbapenem resistant clinical isolates.54 non repetitive clinical isolates of carbapenem resistant gram negative bacteria were studied to detect the Metallo-- lactamase production. Among them 20 (37 %) were MBL producers. MBL producers are predominantly observed among Enterobacteriaceae members with E. coli topping the list (81.8 %) followed by Klebsiella (77.8 %). The least number of MBL producers were observed among Acinetobacter isolates (9.6 %). Timely detection of these infections along with the stringent infection control practices will prevent the spread of these bacteria in health care settings.