Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of clinical carbapenem-resistant isolates from Sokoto, northwest Nigeria.

Emergence and spread of carbapenemase-producing (CPE) are two of the major problems currently threatening global public health. In Nigeria, interest in CPE is recent. In Sokoto, northwest Nigeria, there are no data on the prevalence and mechanism underlying carbapenem resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of clinical carbapenems-resistant isolates in two leading hospitals in Sokoto, northwest Nigeria. A total of 292 non-duplicate isolated from clinical specimens processed in the diagnostic laboratories of two hospitals between January and June 2019 were collected. Of these, 129 (44.2 %) and 19 (6.5%) were resistant to third-generation cephalosporin and carbapenems, respectively. RT-PCR revealed that 10 (7.8%), 19 (14.7%) and 46 (35.7%) of the third-generation cephalosporin-resistant isolates harboured , and genes, respectively. The modified Carba NP test result showed that only 7 (36.8 %) of the 19 carbapenem-resistant isolates were carbapenemase producing; among them, and genes were identified in five and two isolates, respectively. However, none of the carbapenemase genes investigated, including , and , was detected in the remaining carbapenem-resistant isolates, suggesting a non-enzymatic mechanism. This study reports for the first time, the emergence of CPE in Sokoto state and the detection of NDM-producing in Nigeria. The observed CPE in this study is a concern in a country where alternative antibiotics are rarely available.