*********************************************************
The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health confirmed today (April 10) a case of New Delhi metallo-£]-lactamase-5 (NDM-5) Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in an 83-year-old man.
The patient, with chronic illness, travelled to India on March 10, then to Bangkok, Thailand on March 14. He was admitted to a local hospital for stroke on March 15. Later, he was transferred back to Hong Kong and admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital on March 27. He is now in a stable condition.
The patient's rectal swab grew NDM-5 Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, as confirmed by the PHLSB.
His family contacts are asymptomatic. A CHP investigation is underway.
This is the 25th detected case of NDM Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Hong Kong and is the first NDM-5 case reported to the CHP.
"NDM-5 is a variant of NDM found in India," a CHP spokesperson said.
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.
A CHP spokesperson 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/Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:21
NNNN
