VEB-1 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing multidrug-resistant Proteus mirabilis sepsis outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit in India: clinical and diagnostic implications

Abstract

This is believed to be the first report of a nosocomial outbreak of VEB-1 ESBL-producing <i>P. mirabilis</i> sepsis in neonates from India. The present report of infection due to VEB-1-producing <i>P. mirabilis</i>, an uncommon pathogen for an epidemic in a neonatal unit, highlights the growing significance of such Gram-negative bacteria as a cause of infections in newborns. Epidemic spread in a neonatal unit of an ESBL-producing <i>Proteus</i> species, which also had an intrinsically reduced susceptibility to imipenem, and resistance to colistin and tigecycline, can be a threatening situation and can result in high neonatal mortality unless recognized and controlled in a timely manner.