Nationwide molecular epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing <i>Citrobacter</i> spp. in France in 2019 and 2020

Abstract

The emergence of carbapenemase producers in Enterobacterales mostly involves <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>, and <i>Enterobacter cloacae</i> complex species. However, in France, we observed the emergence and the rapid dissemination of carbapenemase in <i>Citrobacter</i> spp. In this study, we demonstrated that a wide variety of carbapenemases is produced by many different species of <i>Citrobacter</i> spp. However, we clearly identify three high-risk clones of <i>Citrobacter freundii</i>, ST8, ST22, and ST91 that drive the spread of carbapenemase in France. This epidemiological study paves the way of further analysis that would aim to identify the virulence factors involved in this pellicular ability of these three clones to disseminate at the hospital.