Fecal Carriage and Molecular Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing in the Pediatric Population in Qatar.

Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterize carbapenemase-producing (CPE) strains recovered from rectal screening swab samples obtained from children at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital in Qatar during a 3-year period. A total of 72 CPE isolates recovered from 61 fecal carriers were characterized. Escherichia coli (47 isolates [65.3%]) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (22 isolates [30.6%]) were the most common species identified. High levels of genetic diversity were observed for both species. These 72 isolates produced 78 carbapenemases, characterized as either NDM-type (41 enzymes [52.6%]) or OXA-48-type (37 enzymes [47.4%]). NDM-5 (24 enzymes [30.8%]), NDM-1 (15 enzymes [19.2%]), and OXA-181 (15 enzymes [19.2%]) were the most common variants detected within each type. Twenty-three NDM producers exhibited difficult-to-treat resistance, compared with only 2 of the OXA-48 producers. Multiple comorbidities were identified in 88.5% of the patients, whereas recent travel history to countries in which CPE are endemic was documented for 57.4% of the patients. All 9 -type-gene-containing E. coli sequence type 38 (ST38) strains were isolated from patients without international travel history. The mean quarterly incidence of fecal carriage decreased more than 6-fold after the implementation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related international travel restrictions in Qatar in mid-March 2020. Our data suggest that NDM-type and OXA-48-type carbapenemases expressed by a large diversity of E. coli and K. pneumoniae genotypes are largely dominant in the pediatric population of Qatar. Although our data indicate successful local expansion of E. coli ST38 strains harboring genes, at least within health care settings, type and type genes appear to have been mainly introduced sporadically by asymptomatic carriers who visited or received health care in some nearby countries in which the genes are endemic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the molecular characteristics of CPE in a pediatric population in Qatar using whole-genome sequencing. Since several countries in the Arabian Peninsula share relatively similar demographic patterns and international links, it is plausible that the molecular characteristics of CPE in children, at least in the middle and eastern parts of the region, are similar to those observed in our study.