Performance evaluation of automated BD Phoenix NMIC-500 panel for carbapenemase detection in carbapenem-resistant and carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacterales

Rapid detection of carbapenemases and accurate reporting of carbapenem MICs is critical for appropriate treatment and infection control. We evaluated the BD Phoenix NMIC-500 panel for detection and classification of carbapenemases and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for carbapenems. A total of 235 isolates were tested; 47 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, 52 non-carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (non-CP-CRE), 136 carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacterales (CSE). The sensitivity of carbapenemase-producing organism (CPO) detection was 97.9%, the specificity was 100% for CSE but 32.7% for non-CP-CREs. All the 35 false-positive cases were non-CP-CREs; 23 out of the 35 were determined as untyped carbapenemase producer (CP), nine were mistyped as class B, and three were as class A. The detection rate/correct classification rate for class A, B, and D carbapenemase was 100%/78.6%, 100%/100%, and 80%/60%, respectively. To supplement the low specificity, it is suggested to report carbapenemase-producer (CP) positive results as "strongly suspicious for carbapenem resistance but carbapenemase production needs to be confirmed" and perform the confirmatory test. The EA and CA for ertapenem, imipenem, and meropenem was 99.1%/99.6%, 89.4%/90.6%, and 95.3%/95.7%. In conclusion, the BD Phoenix CPO detect panel provides advantage in that the carbapenemase test is automated and the results can be obtained within 6 h but the low specificity in CREs needs to be improved. In addition, accurate reporting of meropenem MICs will be helpful for clinicians to choose treatment options.