Abstract: The overuse and misuse of antibiotics contributed to the accumulative emergence of antibiotics resistance,which has been deemed as a major threat to the public health.Among the existing antibiotics,carbapenems are often considered as the last escort against infection caused by the multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria poses a great threat to public health safety.The production of carbapenemases is the main mechanism for those carbapenem-resistant (CR) Enterobacteriaceae,consequently the detections of carbapenemases is of importance in the diagnosis of CR bacterial infection.The detection of carbapenemases mainly depend on phenotypic methods and molecular methods.Phenotypic detections enjoy the benefit of easy-handling,cost-efficiency,and the high feasibility in clinical cases.However,these methods are also less-effctive and tedious.Molecular detections and the newly-developed technologies enable the specific and sensitive detection in a rapid way,yet these methods always call for high expense and professional equipment.Some technologies are still to be developed in the field of carbapenemase detection.Currently,different detection methods are established and refined for particular purposes,and none of them is able to be employed to meet all demands.In practice,the time-consumption,ease of handling and the cost have to be comprehensively considered to select a suitable method which fits the purpose most.In this review,the different detection methods for carbapenemases are summarized and compared from the aspects specificity and sensitivity,operability,time consumption and the cost,providing an integrated view of the current progresses and advances the detection methods for carbapenemases.

Key words: carbapenemases; Enterobacteriaceae; detection methods; drug-resistance