VIM-2 metallo-β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa causing an outbreak in South Africa.

months before R178, on the same farm, indicating the animal carriage of the gene, integron and plasmid (data not shown). Also recently, Acinetobacter baumannii expressing OXA-23 isolated from cattle in France was reported. 9 The occurrence of ESBLs in Enterobacteriaceae (E. coli, Klebsiella and Salmonella) isolated from food-producing animals and the increase in their prevalence is a current problem worldwide, 6,10 but until now the presence of carbapenemases seemed to be mainly restricted to humans. Taking into account the low expression of some carbape-nemases and their affinity for different carbapenems (i.e. intermediate resistance to ertapenem, and decreased susceptibility for imipenem and meropenem) in some isolates, 2,3 the prevalence of carbapenemases in bacteria from livestock can be underestimated. Their level of expression could vary in vivo, 3 depending on the selective pressure (i.e. frequent use of carbapenems in hospital settings). In fact, in Germany carbapenems are not allowed for the treatment of livestock animals. The presence of carbapenemase-encoding genes located on highly effective mobile genetic elements in the livestock environment, and the possibility of their transmission via food in the community and/ or hospitals is worrying and an important issue for public health.