Genomic epidemiology and molecular characteristics of blaNDM-1-positive carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa belonging to international high-risk clone ST773 in the Gauteng region, South Africa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the top six pathogens causing healthcare-associated infections. The emergence of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) harbouring the acquired carbapenemase genes (blaVIM, blaIMP and blaNDM) has become a global public health threat. Although blaNDM-1 is commonly associated with carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacteria, it is rarely found in P. aeruginosa. The current study aimed to investigate the molecular/genomic epidemiological characteristics of the blaNDM-1-positive CRPA isolates collected in the Gauteng region, South Africa.