Comparison of local features from two Spanish hospitals reveals common and specific traits at multiple levels of the molecular epidemiology of metallo-ß-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas spp.

ABSTRACT

Twenty-seven well-characterized metallo-ß-lactamase (MBL)-producing Pseudomonas strains from two distantly located hospitals were analyzed. The results revealed specific features defining the multilevel epidemiology of strains from each hospital in terms of species, clonality, predominance of high-risk clones, composition/diversity of integrons, and linkages of Tn402-related structures. Therefore, despite the global trends driving the epidemiology of MBL-producing Pseudomonas spp., the presence of local features has to be considered in order to understand this threat and implement proper control strategies.