High prevalence of contamination of sink drains with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in 4 intensive care units apart from any epidemic context

Abstract

We report a high prevalence (28%) of sink drains contaminated with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in 4 intensive care units with a history of CPE carriage in hospitalized patients within the previous 5 years, but apart from any current epidemic context. Carbapenemase genes, particularly bla and bla, were identified by polymerase chain reaction in sink drains in which no CPE was detected, but very few data are available in the literature concerning their presence in sink drains