Prevalence of Carbapenemase Genes blaOXA-48, blaNDM, and blaIMP in Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates from University Hospital Sharjah, UAE

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae are globally recognized as priority pathogens due to their association with multidrug resistance and limited therapeutic options.Carbapenemase genes, such as bla OXA-48 , bla NDM , and bla IMP , play a central role in the dissemination of resistance.Methods and Results: This study investigated the prevalence and co-occurrence of these pathogens in 100 multidrug-resistant isolates collected from University Hospital Sharjah, between November 2024 and June 2025.PCR detection revealed bla OXA-48 as the most prevalent gene (66.7% in P. aeruginosa and 65.5% in K. pneumoniae), followed by bla IMP (44.4% and 38.2%), and bla NDM (15.6% and 23.6%).Co-occurrence of two or more genes was observed in over 30% of isolates, and a small proportion carried all three.Approximately one-quarter of isolates tested negative for these targets, indicating alternative mechanisms of carbapenem resistance. Conclusion:Our findings provide hospital-level molecular data from Sharjah that align with broader trends in the UAE, while highlighting the complexity of resistance-gene combinations.The results underscore the importance of ongoing molecular surveillance, monitoring of gene co-occurrence, and enhanced antimicrobial stewardship to mitigate the effects of multidrugresistant, Gram-negative infections.