Rapid detection of polymyxin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae

Nordmann, Patrice; Jayol, Aurélie; Poirel, Laurent

doi:10.3201/eid2206.151840

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Journal article

Rapid detection of polymyxin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae

Nordmann, Patrice Emerging Antibiotic Resistance Unit, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Jayol, Aurélie Emerging Antibiotic Resistance Unit, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Poirel, Laurent Emerging Antibiotic Resistance Unit, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

2016

Published in:

Emerging Infectious Diseases. - 2016, vol. 22, no. 6, p. 1038-1043

English For identification of polymyxin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, we developed a rapid test that detects glucose metabolization associated with bacterial growth in the presence of a defined concentration of colistin or polymyxin B. Formation of acid metabolites is evidenced by a color change (orange to yellow) of a pH indicator (red phenol). To evaluate the test, we used bacterial colonies of 135 isolates expressing various mechanisms of colistin resistance (intrinsic, chromosomally encoded, and plasmid-mediated MCR-1) and 65 colistin-susceptible isolates. Sensitivity and specificity were 99.3% and 95.4%, respectively, compared with the standard broth microdilution method. This new test is inexpensive, easy to perform, sensitive, specific, and can be completed in <2 hours. It could be useful in countries facing endemic spread of carbapenemase producers and for which polymyxins are last-resort drugs.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Médecine 3ème année

Language