Updated ECDC risk assessment on the spread of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) and its variants within Europe

Data currently available from scientific publications and enhanced surveillance in some EU Member States indicate that there is an increase in the spread of all carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in Europe, including New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM).
One of the major barriers to our understanding of the magnitude of risk that these highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent for Europe is that EU Member States lack systematic surveillance systems and policies to detect NDM infection. Public health preparedness should be enhanced by developing the necessary infrastructure to prevent further spread of all CPE in EU Member States, for example by introducing EU-wide surveillance to improve the monitoring of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
This report represents a review of medical publications on New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase and its variants within Europe and a summary of the results of a survey sent to the ECDC National Antimicrobial Resistance Focal Points in all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. The purpose of this survey was to register all cases of NDM colonisation or infection by country and to collect data on patient characteristics and epidemiological histories.