Variaciones al Test de Hodge modificado para la detección de carbapenemasas en Pseudomonas aeruginosa

One of the most important mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the production of carbapenem-hydrolyzing enzymes known as carbapenemases. The modified Hodge test is the most frequently used phenotypic screening test for carbapenemases. Nevertheless, CLSI recommends using modified Hodge test only in members of Enterobacteriaceae, since the test has demonstrated limitations in other Gram-negative bacilli and non-glucose-fermenters as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Objective: To evaluate the performance of 3D test and three variations of modified Hodge test to detect carbapenemases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Materials and methods: The efficacy of 3D test and three variations in modified Hodge test were evaluated taking polymerase chain reaction for carbapenemases KPC, VIM, IMP, NDM and OXA-48 as the gold standard. Variations consisted in using a) MacConckey agar instead of Mueller Hinton, b) Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 as indicator carbapenem-sensitive strain instead of Escherichia coli ATCC 29212 and c) last two conditions simultaneously. Results: Of the variations tested, the third assay using both MacConckey agar and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 showed the best sensitivity and specificity (90.0% and 85.7%, respectively). Conclusions: The implementation of variations in modified Hodge test could be a cheap and easy to perform alternative for phenotypic carbapenemase detection in Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Clinical Microbiology laboratories.