Genomic surveillance detects interregional spread of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1-producing Providencia stuartii in hospitals, Romania, December 2021 to September 2023.

BackgroundNew Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)-producing Providencia stuartii has been reported from European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries with increasing frequency. During 2018 to 2022, 355 cases of NDM-producing P. stuartii were detected in seven hospitals reporting on NDM-production in Enterobacterales in Romania.AimOur aim was to determine the extent of spread of NDM-producing P. stuartii in hospitals in Romania.MethodsWe analysed whole genome sequences and epidemiological data of 74 P. stuartii isolates collected in six hospitals from December 2021 to September 2023.ResultsWe identified four multi-hospital clusters including isolates detected over more than a year, indicating sustained spread of bla _NDM-1-carrying P. stuartii within the healthcare system. These clusters consisted of isolates from up to four hospitals and three regions. Three multi-hospital clusters were caused by a specific multidrug-resistant P. stuartii sequence type 46 lineage carrying bla _NDM-1 and a large set of additional resistance markers. Investigation in an international context showed that this lineage had already been detected in nine countries (Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States) since 2015.ConclusionOur results alert about the risk of carbapenem-resistant P. stuartii transmission in healthcare settings. Enhanced infection prevention and control measures should be instituted as soon as cases are detected in healthcare facilities. National surveillance systems in EU/EEA countries should, in addition to carbapenem-resistant and/or carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, consider reporting carbapenem-resistant and/or carbapenemase-producing P. stuartii and other Enterobacterales where relevant.