Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are of great concern for public health. Since 2013, 4 hospitals in northern Israel have been providing care for Syrian nationals, primarily those wounded in the ongoing civil war. In this study, we characterized using microbiological and molecular methods CPE isolated from Syrian patients. During a one year period, 595 Syrian patients were hospitalized, most of them male and in the 18-50-year-old age range. 30 CPE were collected from 27 patients, in which 25 identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli. 19 isolates produced NDM and 11 produced OXA-48, most of them were resistant to carbapenems and gentamicin, but susceptible to colistin and fosfomycin. We were unable to track the source for bacterial acquisition, however some patients admitted in different medical centers were found to carry the same sequence type implying a common source. We believe that our findings have implications for public health throughout the region.
