Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they also have high levels of resistance to a class of antibiotics called carbapenems. Also, they can develop carbapenemase-producing genes that make the organism more dangerous by transmitting these genes to other organisms. They represent a serious threat to public health. Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are examples of Enterobacterales, a normal part of the human gut bacteria, that can become resistant to antibiotics. Healthy people usually do not get CRE infections since they usually happen to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare settings. Patients whose care requires devices like ventilators (breathing machines), urinary (bladder) catheters, or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients who take long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for CRE infections.