Cases of a threatening superbug, nicknamed the “phantom menace,” are rising in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The phantom menace superbug produces OXA-48-like carbapenemases and has been observed most frequently in Enterobacteriaceae isolates. This type of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), however, has a lower level of resistance than other strains of CRE. As a result, these isolates have not been tested for and identified as frequently as other CREs and have widely escaped detection by health officials, earning it the nickname “phantom menace.”
The CDC stresses that monitoring the emergence of carbapenemases like the phantom menace is critical to limiting their spread. Detection of patients harboring carbapenemase-producing infections should immediately lead to transmission-based precautions and enhanced environmental cleaning to prevent further transmission.
The CDC has reported a total number of 52 CRE isolates producing the OXA-48-like carbapenemases collected from 43 patients in 19 states between June 2010 and August 2015. Most alarming is the fact that just one case was identified in 2010, whereas 2013, 2014, and 2015 saw 11 instances each.
The Verigene® Gram-Negative Blood Culture Test (BC-GN) is the only FDA-cleared test that can identify OXA-48-like carbapenemases. In addition, BC-GN can detect four other carbapenemases (KPC, IMP, NDM, VIM), all in two hours from a positive blood culture broth. Detection of CRE with BC-GN days faster than conventional methods can lead to earlier optimization of antimicrobial therapy and allow hospitals to enact infection control measures in a timelier manner to limit the spread of CRE.
Click here for the Washington Post Story on the Phantom Menace
Click here for the CDC MMWR on OXA-48-like carbapenemases