High prevalence of contamination of sink drains with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in 4 intensive care units apart from any epidemic context

Abstract : We report a high prevalence (28%) of sink drains contaminated with carbapenemase-producing Enterobac-teriaceae (CPE) in 4 intensive care units with a history of CPE carriage in hospitalized patients within the previous 5 years, but apart from any current epidemic context. Carbapenemase genes, particularly bla VIM and bla NDM , were identified by polymerase chain reaction in sink drains in which no CPE was detected, but very few data are available in the literature concerning their presence in sink drains.