Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales
Enterobacterales is the name given to a family of bacteria that normally lives in the human gut. Some of these bacteria produce enzymes, called carbapenemases, which stop antibiotics from working against the bacteria. Bacteria that produce these enzymes are resistant to most types of antibiotics. There is a high mortality rate associated with these infections caused by these bacteria, because of the limited treatments options available.
Recommendations for the control of CPE
The Recommendations for the control of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) - A guide for acute care health facilities was published in 2017 to support health service organisations in preventing and containing CPE infections. The guide recommends strategies to prevent, detect and contain CPE. In response to the increasing prevalence of CPE across Australia, the CPE Guide was updated and retitled in 2021 to reflect contemporary clinical practice and scientific evidence, and consistency with the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Health Care and the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.
The 2021 CPE Guide was developed following a review of the current clinical context and consultation involving clinical experts in infectious diseases, clinical microbiology, infection prevention and control, as well as representatives from Australian state and territory health departments.The recommendations in the 2021 CPE Guide should be considered in conjunction with the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare, relevant local policies and procedures and your infection control team.
Supporting resources
The following resources have been developed to support the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the 2021 CPE Guide:
The Commission established the CARAlert system as part of the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) Surveillance System, to improve timely resistance reporting of critical antimicrobial resistances (CARs). CARAlert monitors resistance mechanisms, or profiles, that are known to present a serious threat to the effectiveness of last-line antimicrobial agents. CPE is currently monitored as one of the critical antimicrobial resistances in CARAlert. Click here for more information on CARAlert.