Insights of β‐Lactams Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates: A Focus on Molecular Identification of Drug Resistance

TL;DR

This study identifies resistance genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae, showing high resistance to common antibiotics and the effectiveness of molecular assays in detecting these genes.

Contribution

The study develops and validates molecular assays for detecting bla family resistance genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.

Findings

High prevalence of resistance genes from Ambler's classes A, B, and D was observed.

Resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems was common in isolates.

The developed assays efficiently detected key bla family resistance genes.

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae is associated with high antimicrobial resistance and is commonly isolated from colonization and healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs). This study is aimed at developing and validating molecular assays to detect resistance genes belonging to the bla family in resistant K. pneumoniae isolates. The genes included belong to the subfamilies: blaSHV, blaTEM, blaNDM, blaKPC, blaGES, blaCTX‐M, and relevant variants of the blaOXA subfamily. The identified genotypic profile showed a high prevalence of genes belonging to Ambler′s classes of beta‐lactamases A, B, and D, which was in accordance with the phenotypic results obtained for the isolates investigated. A high prevalence of resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems was observed. In conclusion, the assays developed were efficient in detecting the main resistance genes of the bla family in K. pneumoniae, revealing a concerning regional burden of resistance genes.

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