This gene was thought originally to be confined
to southeast Asia but it and a myriad of similar genes
(blaIMP-2 – blaIMP-12) have now been isolated in P. aeruginosa
and other Gram-negative bacteria from around the
world. A similar class of b-lactamases (VIM 1–4) have
been found in Asia and Europe, almost exclusively in
P. aeruginosa [20]. The extent and diversity of these
enzymes suggests that they will be very difficult to
overcome