Identification and molecular characterisation of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1)- and NDM-6-producing Enterobacteriaceae from New Zealand hospitals

Abstract

The global spread of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) is of significant public health concern. This study sought to determine whether blaNDM was present in Enterobacteriaceae isolates displaying resistance to carbapenems that were submitted to the National Antibiotic Reference Laboratory, Institute of Environmental Science and Research (Porirua, New Zealand) during 2009 and 2010. Isolates were tested for the presence of β-lactamase genes and 16S rRNA methylase genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Plasmid transfer studies were undertaken on isolates found to be harbouring blaNDM. Molecular typing was performed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The blaNDM-1 gene was ..