An OXA-48-producing Escherichia coli isolated from a Danish patient with no hospitalization abroad

Abstract

Carbapenemase-producing organisms are disseminating globally and are now emerging as a worrying threat in Scandinavia. Before August 2013, OXA-48-producing organisms had not been detected in Danish patients. Here we report the isolation of an ST746 OXA-48-producing Escherichia coli with the plasmid pOXA-48a carrying the bla_OXA-48 gene isolated from a Danish patient without history of hospitalization abroad. The patient reported tourist travel to Egypt and Turkey. The potential acquisition of carbapenemase-producing organisms by ingestion of contaminated food is discussed.

Keywords::

• Travel-associated spread
• OXA-48
• carbapenem resistance
• Enterobacteriaceae

Declaration of interest: This work was funded by 09-067103/DSF from the Danish Council for Strategic Research. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.