Metallo-β-lactamase–producing imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates in a university teaching hospital in Malaysia: detection of IMP-7 and first identification of IMP-4, VIM-2, and VIM-11

Abstract

Ninety ( n = 90) imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IRPA) clinical isolates collected randomly during 2005 to 2008 from University Malaya Medical Center were assessed for the presence of different variants of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) genes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay detected 32 ( n = 32) MBL gene PCR-positive isolates with the presence of bla IMP gene in 14 ( n = 14) and bla VIM in 18 ( n = 18) isolates. Four allelic variants, bla IMP-7 (12 isolates), bla IMP-4 (2 isolates), bla VIM-2 (17 isolates), and bla VIM-11 (1 isolate), of MBL genes were identified. This study is the first report of detection of bla IMP-4, bla VIM-2, and bla VIM-11 MBL genes from IRPA clinical isolates in Malaysia.