Abstract
Dissemination of metallo-β-lactamases (carbapenemases) was investigated retrospectively among ceftazidimeand imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in a hematology unit in Marseilles, France, from September, 1995, to March, 1999. Sixteen clinical isolates and 23 environmental strains were identified, with a same bla VIM-2 gene that encoded a carbapenemase identified in Southern Europe and South Korea. Five different genotypes were identified among clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolates all harboring an ∼45-kb plasmid with bla VIM-2-positive class 1 integrons varying in structures. This study identified a hidden reservoir of carbapenemase producers.
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