Advances in the study of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1

The New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) was first reported in 2010, detected in a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from a Swedish patient of Indian origin. It has recently attracted extensive attention for its biological activities to catalyze the hydrolysis of almost all of β-lactam antibiotics. The gene for NDM-1 can spread from one strain of bacteria to another by horizontal gene transfer. The most troubling aspect is that there are currently no clinically available inhibitors to block the metallo-β-lactamase action. Therefore, there is urgent need to develop new NDM-1 inhibitors, which can protect β-lactam antibiotics from the hydrolysis effect of NDM-1. In this review, the current research, drug-assistant mechanism and potential NDM-1 inhibitors are summarized.