Enterobacterales are a large family of different types of bacteria that commonly cause infections in healthcare settings. Examples include Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a type of Enterobacterales that are resistant to a group of antibiotics called carbapenems.

Featured Resources:

• CORHA's Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE): Recommendations for Healthcare Outbreak Response, which addresses outbreak detection and reporting, investigation and control, and relevant resources.
• CDC’s Containment Strategy Guidelines, which outline guidance for a public health response to contain novel or targeted multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) including recommended approaches for three different tiers of organisms and resistance mechanisms
• CSTE’s Position Statement on Public Health Reporting and National Notification of Carbapenemase Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CP-CRE)

Health Departments conducting these investigations are encouraged to consult with CDC by contacting the healthcare outbreak duty officer at [email protected].

Note: A taxonomy change was adopted in 2020 to use “Enterobacterales” as the name of a new scientific order. For more information, see the CDC website.