First detection of E. coli VIM-1 in meat products in Belgium, 2015

We report here the first detection of a carbapenemase producing E. coli (CPE) in the Belgium food chain in 2015. The isolate from pork meat contained the carbapenemase gene bla VIM-1. Whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis was conducted to further characterize the isolated. The presence of CPE into the food chain increases the concern about the potential spread to humans.