International and regional spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Europe

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) are of particular concern due to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes associated with mobile genetic elements. In this study, we collected 687 carbapenem-resistant strains recovered among clinical samples from 41 hospitals in nine Southern European countries (2016-2018). We identified 11 major clonal lineages, with most isolates belonging to the high-risk clones ST258/512, ST101, ST11, and ST307. blaKPC-like was the most prevalent carbapenemase-encoding gene (46%), with blaOXA-48 present in 39% of isolates. Through the combination and comparison of this EURECA collection with the previous EuSCAPE collection (2013-2014), we investigated the spread of high-risk clones circulating in Europe exhibiting regional differences. We particularly found blaKPC-like ST258/512 in Greece, Italy, and Spain, blaOXA-48 ST101 in Serbia and Romania, blaNDM ST11 in Greece, and blaOXA-48-like ST14 in Türkiye. Genomic surveillance across Europe thus provides crucial insights for local risk mapping and informs necessary adaptions for implementation of control strategies.