Whole-genome sequencing of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated from high dependency unit patients. A Study from a secondary and tertiary hospital

we investigated the modes of CRE spreading in ICU units in Kuwait, to explain whether this emergence is due to horizontal gene transfer or clonal spread. We studied the genetic background of carbapenemase genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements, the plasmids carrying them, and the molecular features of a commonly encountered carbapenem-resistant clone of selected strains by whole genome sequencing (WGS). It is the first whole-genome sequenced Enterobacteriaceae to shed light on the complexity of carbapenemases and plasmids in Kuwait.