Emergence of gene associations in high-risk K. pneumoniae clones: bla_NDM-1 + bla_OXA-48-like in ST15 and bla_VIM + bla_NDM-1 in ST405.

Authors

Ameni Ben Hamza, Anis Raddaoui, Siwar Frigui, Yosra Chebbi, Wafa Achour

Published in

Archives of microbiology. Volume 208. Issue 10. Aug 01, 2026. Epub Aug 01, 2026.

Abstract

Immunocompromised patients, especially hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) / bone marrow transplant recipients, are at risk for colonization and infection with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) which is associated with increased bloodstream infections and mortality in this population. In this susceptible population, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of CR-KP. The strains isolated over a five-year period (2017-2021) were then characterized by PCR and sequencing targeting carbapenemase genes. ERIC-PCR was utilized to examine clonal relations, while multilocus sequence typing was carried out on representative isolates. Analysis of 142 CR-KP uncovered remarkable genetic heterogeneity with six predominant clusters making up for 83,8% of strains and one major cluster. Novel findings in K. pneumoniae included: undescribed MLST profile ST5187, emergence of bla_VIM-1 in ST397, emergence of bla_OXA-48-like in ST219, co-carriage of either bla_NDM-1 + bla_OXA-48-like in ST15 or bla_VIM-like + bla_NDM-1 in ST405. CR-KP, brought to light new carbapenemase gene associations and undescribed MLST profiles. To prevent transmission of high-risk clones in immunocompromised populations, enhanced molecular surveillance and robust infection control are of high importance.

PMID:
42541569
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Aug 2026.

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