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BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) is an urgent public health issue in Italy. This pattern of resistance is due mainly to dissemination of carbapenemase genes. Molecular characterization of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) strains was performed over a three-year period. In-depth analysis was performed on a subset of emerging CR-KP ST101 and ST307 clones. METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 691 patients with CR-KP bloodstream infections hospitalized in 19 hospitals located in three large provinces in Southern Italy. Carbapenemase genes were identified via genotyping methods. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) were carried out on ST101 and ST307 isolates. RESULTS: variant was identified in all 104 characterized KPC-KP isolates. MLST of 231 representative isolates revealed ST512 in 45.5%, ST101 in 20.3% and ST307 in 18.2% of the isolates. cgMLST of ST307 and ST101 isolates revealed presence of more than one beta-lactam resistance gene. Amino acid substitution in the chromosomal colistin-resistance gene pmrB was found in two ST101 isolates. CONCLUSIONS: ST512 is widespread in Southern Italy, but ST101 and ST307 are emerging since they were found in a significant proportion of cases. Aggressive infection control measures and a continuous monitoring of these high-risk clones are necessary to avoid rapid spread of CR-KP, especially in hospital settings.
Loconsole et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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