Prevalence of faecal carriage of colistin-resistant Gram-negative rods in a university hospital in western France, 2016.

Plasmid-mediated and chromosomally-encoded colistin resistance is increasingly being reported worldwide. We aimed to determine the prevalence of faecal carriage of colistin-resistant Gram-negative rod isolates in a university hospital in western France. From February to May 2016, rectal swabs from 653 patients hospitalized in various clinical settings were recovered and subsequently screened for colistin resistance using the SuperPolymyxin medium.

Hafnia, an enterobacterial genus naturally resistant to colistin revealed by three susceptibility testing methods.

Objectives: To determine the susceptibility to colistin of Hafnia alvei and Hafnia paralvei, and to compare methods for colistin resistance detection in the Hafnia genus.

Methods: A collection of 25 Hafnia isolates was studied. Species were identified by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing with subsequent phylogeny analysis.