Genetic and Phenotypic Characteristics of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from a Tertiary Hospital in Beijing

Abstract

Objective: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common multidrug-resistant pathogen that jeopardizes the health of hospitalized patients. We aimed to study the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) isolates from a hospital in Beijing. Methods: Twenty-four CRKP clinical isolates were collected within a half-year to investigate antimicrobial resistance and genomic characteristics. Illumina and Nanopore sequencing were performed to assemble and annotate genomes. Results: All strains were multi-drug resistant. Twenty-two strains carried the blaKPC-2 gene and two harbored blaNDM-5. Multilocus sequence type(MLST) analysis identified five sequence types; most isolates belonged to ST11. Three strains were isolated from the same patient; each carried a different plasmid replicon, either IncFII(pHN7A8), IncX, or IncFIB(K). Conclusion: This study furthers the understanding of CRKP antimicrobial resistance genotypes, and may facilitate the control of nosocomial infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.