Rapid communications Rapid increase of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in a large Italian hospital:

The first case of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Italy was reported in 2009. We performed a study over a period of seven months in 2010 to survey the circulation of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC) in a 1,500-bed university hospital in northern Italy and report the presence and rapid increase of these multidrug-resistant bacteria. The results raise a major concern about these pathogens and demonstrate the urgent need for infection control and antibiotic stewardship programmes

Rapid communications Outbreak of NDM-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae in

metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) gene was detected in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates obtained from six patients hospitalised in four healthcare facilities in northern Italy. The patient who had been hospitalised in New Delhi, India, from February to May 2011 and subsequently in the Bologna area, Italy, from May to July 2011, may have been the source of the outbreak. Our findings suggest ongoing spread of this carbapenem-resistance gene in Italy and highlight the need for intensive surveillance. Outbreak description On 2 July 2011, we isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae harbouring the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase gene (bla), cultured from the urine of a patient (Patient ND