Susceptibility to novel antimicrobial agents and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant enterobacterales: a 9-year study in Central China

PURPOSE: This nine-year (2016-2024) surveillance study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) in a tertiary hospital in Central China, with a focus on evaluating the in vitro efficacy of novel antimicrobial agents. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted by broth microdilution to identify CRE isolates. From 1,403 non-duplicate CRE isolates(representing 13.4% of all Enterobacterales isolates recovered during the study period), 133 representative strains were selected for comprehensive molecular analysis. Carbapenemase genes were detected by PCR and sequencing, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed. RESULTS: Among the 1,403 CRE isolates, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) predominated (65.5%). In the 133-strain subset, 97.7% harbored carbapenemase genes, primarily blaKPC-2 (82.7%). Cefiderocol and aztreonam-avibactam demonstrated 100% susceptibility against all tested strains. Against blaKPC-2 producers, susceptibility rates to ceftazidime-avibactam, imipenem-relebactam, and meropenem-vaborbactam were 92.7%, 96.4%, and 97.3%, respectively. The high-risk CRKP-ST11-blaKPC-2 clone dominated (81.2% of CRKP). Notably, 44.4% (8/18) of NDM-producing isolates and one IMP-4-producing isolate were susceptible to meropenem-vaborbactam, associated with low-level carbapenem resistance and absence of co-produced serine β-lactamases. Temporal variation in CRE proportion was observed, with a decline during 2020-2022 and an increase after 2023. CONCLUSION: The CRKP-ST11-blaKPC-2 clone is the primary driver of CRE dissemination in our setting, highlighting the need for sustained infection control. Ceftazidime-avibactam, imipenem-relebactam, and meropenem-vaborbactam showed excellent activity against KPC producers, while cefiderocol and aztreonam-avibactam demonstrated potent activity against all CRE tested, including metallo-β-lactamase producers. The susceptibility of some NDM and IMP-4 producers to meropenem-vaborbactam underscores the heterogeneity within MBL-producing Enterobacterales and the importance of phenotypic susceptibility testing. Clinical studies are warranted to confirm the real-world efficacy and safety of these novel agents.