Carbapenemase reports from the Balkans: a systematic review

Abstract

The spread of carbapenemase-producing bacteria constitutes a worldwide problem of major importance to public health. The detection of these enzymes is often reported by most European countries and infection control measures are implemented in order to limit their dissemination. Despite the strong evidence indicating the Balkans as a reservoir for carbapenemase-encoding genes, especially for NDM-1, data published in the English literature seem to be scarce for many of the Balkan countries. We systematically reviewed studies on carbapenemase-producing bacteria from each country of the Balkan Peninsula and correlated them with foreign reports on carbapenemase detection due to patient transfer from the Balkans to the rest of Europe.