Co-carriage of Plasmid NDM and Chromosomal KPC in Klebsiella pneumoniae ST255 Human Wound Isolate in Brazil

Multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae is one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections worldwide and frequently carries antimicrobial resistance genes in moving elements. In this study, we described a K. pneumoniae clinical isolate carrying simultaneous chromosomal bla(KPC), and plasmid-mediated bla(NDM) and bla(OXA-9). The isolate is multidrug-resistant and belongs to ST 225. While bla(KPC) were identified in the chromosome, the bla(NDM) was mediated by IncFII(K) plasmid and the bla(OXA-9), in a IncFIB(K) plasmid. The bla(KPC) context was composed by Tn4401 transposon and two insertion sequences ISKpn6 and ISKpn7. The co-production of diverse ss-lactamases brings an alert about a new adaptive profile of K. pneumoniae strains and their dissemination in the hospital-acquired infectious.

Automated summary

This study describes a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying multiple resistance genes and plasmids of different types. This strain poses a potential threat to hospital-acquired infections.