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The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has identified a confirmed case of New Delhi metallo-£]-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a 37-year-old woman.
The patient with chronic illness was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) on September 23 with persistent fever and muscle pain. She was diagnosed as suffering from sepsis.
She is still staying in PWH. Her current condition is stable.
Her urine grew NDM-1 Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae as confirmed by the PHLSB.
The woman had been admitted to a hospital in the Mainland recently for treatment of her chronic illness.
Her home contacts had no symptoms of infection.
This is the 15th detected case of NDM Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Hong Kong.
The spokesman explained that NDM is an enzyme which can inactivate carbapenems and other beta-lactams such as penicillins. Bacteria harbouring this NDM gene are commonly resistant to multiple antimicrobials, limiting therapeutic options and rendering severe clinical infections difficult to treat. Most bacteria with the NDM enzyme remain susceptible to two types of antibiotics, colistin and tigecycline.
Infections have varied from being asymptomatic to potentially life-threatening or fatal. The level of risk depends on which part of the body is affected by the infection, and the general health of the patient.
NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae was first reported in a Swedish patient of Indian origin who travelled to New Delhi, India, in 2008. The first fatal case was identified in 2010 in a patient who received medical treatment in Pakistan before being repatriated to Belgium.
NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae has now been reported in many countries and regions including Australia, Austria, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Sweden, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK and the US. Most patients had prior hospital contact in the Indian subcontinent.
The spokesman said that proper use of antibiotics and personal hygiene, especially hand hygiene, are important for the prevention of emergence and cross-transmission of NDM strains.
Ends/Friday, October 5, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:43
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