Molecular and phenotypic characterization of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii from bovine mastitis milk with development of a novel optimized spectrophotometric UniCarb assay

The UniCarb assay outperformed conventional phenotypic methods, providing rapid, accurate, and species-independent carbapenemase detection. Its PCR-confirmed results and robust cross-species applicability support its use as a practical diagnostic tool in both veterinary and clinical microbiology within a One Health surveillance framework.