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Singh D, Pal S, Subramanian S, Manickam N. Comparative genomics of an extensively drug resistant strain Klebsiella pneumoniae IITR008 with international high-risk clonal lineage ST147 isolated from river water. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2024; 117:57. [PMID: 38491220 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-024-01955-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae causing severe infection resulting in morbidity and mortality have become a global health concern. K. pneumoniae with sequence type ST147 is an international high-risk clonal lineage, genomic studies have been done on K. pneumoniae ST147 isolated from clinical origin but genomic data for environmental K. pneumoniae ST147 is very scarce. Herein, K. pneumoniae IITR008, an extensively drug resistant and potentially hypervirulent bacterium, was isolated from Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers where religious congregations are organized. Phenotypic, genomic and comparative genomic analysis of strain IITR008 was performed. Antibiotic susceptibility profiling revealed resistance to 9 different classes of antibiotics including ß-lactams, ß-lactam combination agents, carbapenem, aminoglycoside, macrolide, quinolones, cephams, phenicol, and folate pathway antagonists and was found to be susceptible to only tetracycline. The strain IITR008 possesses hypervirulence genes namely, iutA and iroN in addition to numerous virulence factors coding for adherence, regulation, iron uptake, secretion system and toxin. Both the IITR008 chromosome and plasmid pIITR008_75 possess a plethora of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) including blaCTX-M-15, blaTEM-1, and blaSHV-11, corroborating the phenotypic resistance. Comparative genomic analysis with other ST147 K. pneumoniae provided insights on the phylogenetic clustering of IITR008 with a clinical strain isolated from a patient in Czech with recent travel history in India and other clinical strains isolated from India and Pakistan. According to the 'One Health' perspective, surveillance of antibiotic resistance in the environment is crucial to impede its accelerated development in diverse ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deeksha Singh
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, FEST Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Vishvigyan Bhawan, 31 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226001, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201002, India
| | - Shilpee Pal
- Bioinformatics Centre, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 39A, Chandigarh, 160036, India
| | - Srikrishna Subramanian
- Bioinformatics Centre, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 39A, Chandigarh, 160036, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201002, India
| | - Natesan Manickam
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, FEST Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Vishvigyan Bhawan, 31 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226001, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201002, India.
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Ouyang P, Zhou Z, Pan C, Tang P, Long S, Liao X, Liu Q, Xie L. Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae-Induced Pneumonia: Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2024; 19:683-693. [PMID: 38468632 PMCID: PMC10926856 DOI: 10.2147/copd.s447905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is closely related to respiratory tract infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and prognostic factors of CRKP-induced pneumonia in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients. Methods A single-centre, retrospective case-control study on COPD patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation and CRKP-induced pneumonia was conducted from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022. The mortality rate of acute exacerbation due to CRKP-induced pneumonia was investigated. The patients were divided into the CRKP-induced pneumonic acute exacerbation (CRKPpAE) group and the non-CRKP-induced pneumonic acute exacerbation (non-CRKPpAE) group, and the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors were compared using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Results A total of 65 AECOPD patients were included, composed of 26 patients with CRKPpAE and 39 patients with non-CRKPpAE. The mortality rate of CRKPpAE was 57.69%, while non-CRKPpAE was 7.69%. Compared with non-CRKPpAE, a history of acute exacerbation in the last year (OR=8.860, 95% CI: 1.360-57.722, p=0.023), ICU admission (OR=11.736, 95% CI: 2.112-65.207, p=0.005), higher NLR levels (OR=1.187, 95% CI: 1.037-1.359, p=0.013) and higher D-dimer levels (OR=1.385, 95% CI: 1.006-1.905, p=0.046) were independently related with CRKPpAE. CRKP isolates were all MDR strains (26/26, 100%), and MDR strains were also observed in non-CRKP isolates (5/39, 12.82%). Conclusion Compared with non-CRKPpAE, CRKPpAE affects the COPD patient's condition more seriously and significantly increases the risk of death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengwen Ouyang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhijie Zhou
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Affiliated Zhuzhou Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chanyuan Pan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Peijuan Tang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Sheng Long
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiangjian Liao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiong Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Liangyi Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, People’s Republic of China
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Lau JZ, Kuo SH, Belo Y, Malach E, Maron B, Caraway HE, Oh MW, Zhang Y, Ismail N, Lau GW, Hayouka Z. Antibacterial efficacy of an ultra-short palmitoylated random peptide mixture in mouse models of infection by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0057423. [PMID: 37819119 PMCID: PMC10648864 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00574-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has imposed a selective pressure for the rapid rise in bacterial resistance, creating an urgent need for novel therapeutics for managing bacterial infectious diseases while counteracting bacterial resistance. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains have become a major challenge in modern medicine due to their ability to cause an array of severe infections. Recently, we have shown that the 20-mer random peptide mixtures are effective therapeutics against three ESKAPEE pathogens. Here, we evaluated the toxicity, biodistribution, bioavailability, and efficacy of the ultra-short palmitoylated 5-mer phenylalanine:lysine (FK5P) random peptide mixtures against multiple clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae and K. oxytoca. We demonstrate the FK5P rapidly and effectively killed various strains of K. pneumoniae, inhibited the formation of biofilms, and disrupted mature biofilms. FK5P displayed strong toxicity profiles both in vitro and in mice, with prolonged favorable biodistribution and a long half-life. Significantly, FK5P reduced the bacterial burden in mouse models of acute pneumonia and bacteremia and increased the survival rate in a mouse model of bacteremia. Our results demonstrate that FK5P is a safe and promising therapy against Klebsiella species as well as other ESKAPEE pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Z. Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Shanny Hsuan Kuo
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yael Belo
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Einav Malach
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Bar Maron
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hannah E. Caraway
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Myung Whan Oh
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Nahed Ismail
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Gee W. Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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Yu J, Lin YT, Chen WC, Tseng KH, Lin HH, Tien N, Cho CF, Huang JY, Liang SJ, Ho LC, Hsieh YW, Hsu KC, Ho MW, Hsueh PR, Cho DY. Direct prediction of carbapenem-resistant, carbapenemase-producing, and colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from routine MALDI-TOF mass spectra using machine learning and outcome evaluation. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2023; 61:106799. [PMID: 37004755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2023.106799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to develop a rapid prediction method for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae (ColRKP) based on routine MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) results in order to formulate a suitable and rapid treatment strategy. In total, 830 CRKP and 1,462 carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP) isolates were collected; 54 ColRKP isolates and 1,592 colistin-intermediate K. pneumoniae (ColIKP) isolates were also included. Routine MALDI-TOF MS, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, NG-Test CARBA 5, and resistance gene detection were followed by machine learning (ML). Using the ML model, the accuracy and area under the curve for differentiating CRKP and CSKP were 0.8869 and 0.9551, and those for ColRKP and ColIKP were 0.8361 and 0.8447, respectively. The most important MS features of CRKP and ColRKP were m/z 4520-4529 and m/z 4170-4179, respectively. Of the CRKP isolates, MS m/z 4520-4529 was a potential biomarker for distinguishing KPC from OXA, NDM, IMP, and VIM. Of the 34 patients who received preliminary CRKP ML prediction results (by texting), 24 (70.6%) were confirmed to have CRKP infection. The mortality rate was lower in patients who received antibiotic regimen adjustment based on the preliminary ML prediction (4/14, 28.6%). In conclusion, the proposed model can provide rapid results for differentiating CRKP and CSKP, as well as ColRKP and ColIKP. The combination of ML-based CRKP with preliminary reporting of results can help physicians alter the regimen approximately 24 h earlier, resulting in improved survival of patients with timely antibiotic intervention.
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de Oliveira ABS, Sacillotto GH, Neves MFB, da Silva AHN, Moimaz TA, Gandolfi JV, Nogueira MCL, Lobo SM. Prevalence, outcomes, and predictors of multidrug-resistant nosocomial lower respiratory tract infections among patients in an ICU. J Bras Pneumol 2023; 49:e20220235. [PMID: 36700572 PMCID: PMC9970364 DOI: 10.36416/1806-3756/e20220235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence, outcomes, and predictors of multidrug-resistant nosocomial lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in patients in an ICU. METHODS This was an observational cohort study involving patients with nosocomial LRTI (health care-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, or ventilator-associated pneumonia). Data were prospectively collected between 2015 and 2019. The multidrug-resistant pathogens (MDRPs) identified in the isolates studied included resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at microbiological diagnosis. RESULTS During the study period, 267 patients in the ICU were diagnosed with LRTI, microbiological confirmation of LRTI having been obtained in 237. Of these, 146 (62%) had at least one MDRP isolate. Patients infected with MDRP were found to have poorer outcomes than patients infected with susceptible strains, such as prolonged mechanical ventilation (18.0 days vs. 12.0 days; p < 0.001), prolonged ICU length of stay (23.0 days vs.16.0 days; p < 0.001), and higher mortality (73% vs. 53%; p < 0.001) when compared with patients infected with susceptible strains. Hospital length of stay ≥ 5 days (OR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.39-7.39; p = 0.005) and prolonged use vasoactive drugs (OR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.42-7.01; p = 0.004) were independent predictors of LRTI caused by MDRPs (LRTI-MDRP). The presence of LRTI-MDRP was found to be an independent predictor of death (OR = 2.311; 95% CI: 1.091-4.894; p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS Prolonged use of vasoactive drugs and prolonged hospital length of stay were independent predictors of LRTI-MDRP in this population of critically ill patients with very poor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guilherme Hirassawa Sacillotto
- . Residência em Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Manuela Francisco Balthazar Neves
- . Residência em Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Andressa Hellen Nora da Silva
- . Residência em Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Tamiris Adriane Moimaz
- . Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Joelma Villafanha Gandolfi
- . Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Mara Correa Lelles Nogueira
- . Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
| | - Suzana Margareth Lobo
- . Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital de Base, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP - São José do Rio Preto (SP), Brasil
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Xu X, Zhu R, Lian S, Zhang H, Chen X, Fan L, Chen P, Cao Y. Risk Factors and Molecular Mechanism of Polymyxin B Resistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from a Tertiary Hospital in Fujian, China. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:7485-7494. [PMID: 36544993 PMCID: PMC9762268 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s391674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The emergence of polymyxin B resistance among carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) causes clinical treatment to be more difficult. We aimed to investigate the risk factors and resistance mechanisms in the polymyxin resistant CRKP (PR-CRKP) strains. Methods From January 2021 to January 2022, 239 CRKP strains were selected, all of which were analyzed using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and clinical data. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for the detection of resistance genes. RT-qPCR was used to quantify transcriptional levels of polymyxin resistance genes. Risk factors for polymyxin B resistant isolates were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results The resistance rate of polymyxin B was 5.02%. In all CRKP strains, 41.84% came from the ICU. The percentage of carbapenemase producing strains was 93.72%. The main carbapenem resistance gene was blaKPC (90.79%). In the 12 strains of PR-CRKP screened, pmrB and pmrK were overexpressed in all samples which were linked with polymyxin B resistance. Multivariate analysis showed that coronary heart disease may be an independent risk factor predisposing patients to polymyxin B resistance. Conclusion We determine the multifaceted mechanism and risk factors of polymyxin B resistance in CRKP. Polymyxin resistance is a complex and changing problem, and more research is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rongping Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Siyan Lian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Medical Technology and Engineering, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin Chen
- Medical Technology and Engineering, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lingfang Fan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Peisong Chen
- Medical Technology and Engineering, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingping Cao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China,Correspondence: Yingping Cao, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-133-6591-0806, Email
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Alshahrani AM, Ibrahim ME, Aldossary AK, Alghamdi MA, Ahmed OB, Bin Abdulhak AA. Molecular Epidemiology of Carbapenem-Resistant K. pneumoniae Clinical Isolates from the Adult Patients with Comorbidities in a Tertiary Hospital, Southern Saudi Arabia. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11121697. [PMID: 36551354 PMCID: PMC9774885 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hospitalized patients are likely to have chronic illnesses and are at an increased risk of mortality due to infection caused by MDR bacteria. We aimed to identify carbapenem-resistant genes carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) isolates and their risk factors recovered from adult patients with comorbidities. A cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2021 and December 2021 at King Abdullah Hospital (KAH) in Bisha province, Saudi Arabia. Seventy-one multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae recovered from clinical samples and screened for carbapenemase genes of blaOXA-48-like, blaNDM-1, blaKPC, blaVIM, and blaIMP. Of 71 MDR K. pneumoniae examined, 47 (66.2%) isolates harbored various carbapenemase genes. The most prevalent single resistance gene was blaOXA-48-like (62.5%; n = 25), and 33.3% of them were recovered from sputum isolates. The blaNDM-1 gene was detected in 12 (30.0%) isolates, and eight of them were recovered from urine (n = 4) and blood (n = 4). Two (5.0%) single blaKPC genes were recovered from the sputum (n = 1) and blood (n = 1) isolates. In contrast, no blaIMP- and blaVIM-carrying isolates were detected. The co-existence of two resistance genes between blaOXA-48-like and blaNDM-1 was found in six strains, whereas only one strain was found to be produced in the three genes of blaNDM-1, blaKPC, and blaOXA-48-like. There were statistically significant associations between the presence of carbapenem-gene-carrying K. pneumoniae and patients' gender (χ2(1) = 5.94, p = 0.015), intensive care unit admission (χ2(1) = 7.649, p = 0.002), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (χ2(1) = 4.851, p = 0.028). The study highlighted the existence of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae, particularly blaOXA-48-like and blaNDM-1, in patients with comorbidities. Our findings emphasize the importance of the molecular characterization of resistance-determinant-carrying bacterial pathogens as a part of infection control and prevention in hospital settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah M. Alshahrani
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha 67614, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mutasim E. Ibrahim
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences (Microbiology Unit), College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha 67614, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +966-502656995
| | - Ahmed K. Aldossary
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha 67614, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mushabab A. Alghamdi
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha 67614, Saudi Arabia
| | - Omar B. Ahmed
- Department of Environmental and Health Research, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aref A. Bin Abdulhak
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA
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