A66 Multi-drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains circulating in hospital setting: Whole-genome sequencing and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis for outbreak investigations

Abstract

Carbapenems-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections are increasing worldwide representing an emerging public health problem. The application of phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses to bacterial whole-genome sequencing data have become essential in the epidemiological surveillance of multi-drug-resistant nosocomial pathogens. Between January 2012 and February 2013, twenty-one multi-drug-resistant K. pneumoniae strains, were collected from patients hospitalized among different wards of the University Hospital Campus Bio-Medico. Epidemiological contact tracing of patients and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of bacterial whole-genome sequencing data were used to investigate the evolution and spatial dispersion of K. pneumoniae in support of hospital infection control. The epidemic curve of incident K. pneumoniae cases showed a bimodal distribution of cases with two peaks separated by forty-six days between November 2012 and January 2013. The time-scaled phylogeny suggested that K. pneumoniae strains isolated during the study period may have been introduced into the hospital setting as early as 2007. Moreover, the phylogeny showed two different epidemic introductions in 2008 and 2009. Bayesian genomic epidemiology is a powerful tool that promises to improve the surveillance and control of multi-drug-resistant pathogens in an effort to develop effective infection prevention in healthcare settings or constant strains reintroduction.