Carbapenemase-producing rare Enterobacterales in hospital food: a Latin American one health blind spot
4 affiliations
- 1Center for Microorganism Research, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
- 2Hospital de Base-Funfarme, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
- 3Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- 4Antimicrobial Resistance Institute of São Paulo (ARIES), São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract
Introduction: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are a global public health concern. These bacteria are very common in human infections, but reports of their presence in the food chain are increasing and could represent alternative routes for colonization and infection. Hence, we conducted a surveillance study to investigate CPE in food distributed to patients at a tertiary hospital in Brazil.
Methods: The samples were collected right before distribution and screened for β-lactam-resistant Enterobacterales. Isolates that exhibited carbapenem resistance were screened for NDM, IMP, VIM, OXA-48-like, and KPC carbapenemase genes by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and those identified as CPE underwent whole-genome sequencing.
Results: Accordingly, we report the detection of a KPC-2-producing Superficieibacter electus , a KPC- 2-producing Pseudocitrobacter faecalis , and two NDM-1-producing Leclercia adecarboxylata isolated from four distinct food samples. The carbapenemase genes were harbored by plasmids, and the genomic traits indicate their potential to cause hard-to-treat human infections or serve as a reservoir of important antimicrobial resistance genes. Moreover, despite the 3-month time span between collections, the two L. adecarboxylata isolates exhibited high similarity, suggesting horizontal transmission of CPE associated with the hospital food service.
Discussion: Thus, the emergence of rare Enterobacterales raises concerns about the potential for silently spreading, hard-to-treat infections.
Related
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- Antimicrobial activity of antibiotic-induced resistant lactobacilli against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales
- Wildlife as a reservoir of OXA-48-like carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales
BibTeX
@article{godoy2026carbapenemaseproducing,
title = {{Carbapenemase-producing rare Enterobacterales in hospital food: a Latin American one health blind spot}},
author = {Bianca L C de Godoy and Giovana Rosa and Mara C L Nogueira and Nilton Lincopan and Tiago Casella},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1978607},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1978607/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Carbapenemase-producing rare Enterobacterales in hospital food: a Latin American one health blind spot
AU - Bianca L C de Godoy
AU - Giovana Rosa
AU - Mara C L Nogueira
AU - Nilton Lincopan
AU - Tiago Casella
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1978607
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1978607/full
AB - Introduction: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are a global public health concern. These bacteria are very common in human infections, but reports of their presence in the food chain are increasing and could represent alternative routes for colonization and infection. Hence, we conducted a surveillance study to investigate CPE in food distributed to patients at a tertiary hospital in Brazil. Methods: The samples were collected right before distribution and screened for β-lactam-resistant Enterobacterales. Isolates that exhibited carbapenem resistance were screened for NDM, IMP, VIM, OXA-48-like, and KPC carbapenemase genes by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and those identified as CPE underwent whole-genome sequencing. Results: Accordingly, we report the detection of a KPC-2-producing Superficieibacter electus , a KPC- 2-producing Pseudocitrobacter faecalis , and two NDM-1-producing Leclercia adecarboxylata isolated from four distinct food samples. The carbapenemase genes were harbored by plasmids, and the genomic traits indicate their potential to cause hard-to-treat human infections or serve as a reservoir of important antimicrobial resistance genes. Moreover, despite the 3-month time span between collections, the two L. adecarboxylata isolates exhibited high similarity, suggesting horizontal transmission of CPE associated with the hospital food service. Discussion: Thus, the emergence of rare Enterobacterales raises concerns about the potential for silently spreading, hard-to-treat infections.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -