Carbapenemase enzymes: A review on situation at Turkey

Abstract

Beta-lactam class of antibiotics form the first choice of treatment in nearly all infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli group of bacteria. There has been great progress in identification of mechanisms of resistance against this treatment and enzymatic resistance along with cell wall modifications is highlighted as the most significant resistance mechanism. Years of mutations and modifications have enabled ?-lactamases to broaden their resistance spectrum. In this war against bacteria, mankind continued to develop new ?-lactam antibiotics and the broad-spectrum carbapenem group of antibiotics have been developed as the ultimate weapon. Bacteria were able to respond by further advancing their resistance mechanism through developing new ?-lactamase enzymes which are called Carbapenemases. Carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacilli observed in our country and globally is the latest step of the long-standing problem of bacterial resistance. Given that, carbapenemase-producing bacteria are now recognized globally as a cause of serious infections and geographical positions of such carbapenemase producing bacteria must be identified and monitored in order to be able to treat these stubborn infections succesfully. Therefore, a good surveillance system that will yield robust strategies is required to facilitate the treatment of these infections. This review provides a brief introduction to the carbapenemase enzymes, summarizes the condition of distribution of these enzymes and provides an insight into the way Turkey is affected by this global problem. © 2016 by Türkiye Klinikleri.