Polyphasic characterization of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates suggests vertical transmission of the blaKPC-3 gene.

ABSTRACT: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae are a major global threat in healthcare facilities. The propagation of carbapenem resistance determinants can occur through vertical transmission, with genetic elements being transmitted by the host bacterium, or by horizontal transmission, with the same genetic elements being transferred among distinct bacterial hosts. This work aimed to track carbapenem resistance transmission by K. pneumoniae in a healthcare facility. The study involved a polyphasic approach based on conjugation assays, resistance phenotype and genotype analyses, whole genome sequencing, and plasmid characterization by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and optical DNA mapping. Out of 40 K. pneumoniae clinical isolates recovered over two years, five were carbapenem- and multidrug

SUBMITTER: Ferreira C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7909683 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature