SUMMARY β-Lactam antibiotics have been widely used as therapeutic agents for the past
70 years, resulting in emergence of an abundance of β-lactam-inactivating β-lactamases …

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen affecting
humans and a major source for hospital infections associated with high morbidity and …

Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs) were originally identified in the USA in
1996. Since then, these versatile β-lactamases have spread internationally among Gram …

Multilocus sequence typing reveals that many bacterial species have a clonal structure and
that some clones are widespread. This underlying phylogeny was not revealed by pulsed …

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) have become more common as medical care has
grown more complex and patients have become more complicated. HAIs are associated …

From early this decade, Enterobacteriaceae that produce Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemases (KPC) were reported in the USA and subsequently worldwide. These KPC …

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are a rapidly evolving group of β-lactamases
which share the ability to hydrolyze third-generation cephalosporins and aztreonam yet are …

Acinetobacter baumannii is a common cause of serious nosocomial infections. Although
community-acquired infections are observed, the vast majority occur in people with …

Carbapenemases are β-lactamases with versatile hydrolytic capacities. They have the ability
to hydrolyze penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems. Bacteria …

The production of-lactamases is the predominant cause of resistance to-lactam antibiotics in
gram-negative bacteria. These enzymes cleave the amide bond in the-lactam ring …