A review of phenotypic methods for detecting antibiotic resistance induced by carbapenemase enzyme in bacteria isolated from clinical specimens

In recent years, infections caused by gram-negative organisms that produce carbapenemase enzymes (CPO) have become one of the global health challenges and concerns. Rapid and accurate identification of gram-negative organisms that produce the carbapenemase enzyme can be effective in controlling infectious diseases and their timely treatment. Over the years, an increasing number of phenotypic methods have been developed to rapidly detect the activity of gram-negative carbapenemases. However, there is no single phenotypic method that has 100% sensitivity and specificity and contains all the characteristics of an ideal test for the detection of carbapenemase enzymes. The choice of an appropriate methodological approach depends on various factors such as epidemiological status, laboratory resources, and the availability of other confirmatory tests. According to what has been studied in this research, there are user-friendly, cost-effective, accurate, and applicable tests in clinical microbiology laboratories. In this review study, various phenotypic methods have been evaluated for detecting carbapenemase activity in gram-negative bacteria.