Research progress of heteroresistance to carbapenems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract:

Heteroresistance refers to the co-existence of bacterial resistance and sensitivity to certain antimicrobial agents in the same clone. Carbapenems are the preferred drugs for the treatment of infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. With the increasing use of carbapenems, isolation rate of carbapenem-heteroresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CHPA) gradually increased. However, there is no standard, efficient and low-cost detection method for CHPA that can be applied in clinical practice, leading to the failure of detection and treatment for CHPA infection. This paper reviewed the definition and detection methods of heteroresistance, as well as resistance mechanism, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of CHPA, provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment of CHPA infection.