Carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria in aquatic environments: a review

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest public-health challenges worldwide, especially with regard to Gram-negative bacteria (GNB). Carbapenems are β-lactam antibiotics choice broadest spectrum activity and, in many cases, last-resort treatment for several bacterial infections. Carbapenemase-encoding genes, mainly carried by mobile genetic elements, main mechanism against carbapenems GNB. These enzymes exhibit a versatile hydrolytic capacity and confer most antibiotics. After being considered clinical issue, increasing attention giving dissemination such mechanisms environment through water. Aquatic environments among significant microbial habitats on our planet, known as favourable medium antibiotic gene transfer, they play crucial role huge spread drug community. In this review, we present current knowledge regarding carbapenemase-producing isolates different aquatic environments, which may help implementation control prevention strategies dangerous resistant agents environment.