Detection of carbapenemases by real-time PCR and melt curve analysis on the BD Max system

We developed a multiplex SYBR green real-time PCR for the BD Max instrument (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD) to detect a panel of carbapenemases. The assay was evaluated with 152 consecutive isolates sent to the German National Reference Laboratory, and 65/65 of the carbapenemase-positive and 87/87 of the carbapenemase-negative strains were identified correctly.