Microbial tracking of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in a pediatric hospital setting

Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2013 Apr-Jun;26(2):463-72. doi: 10.1177/039463201302600219.

Abstract

We investigated the clonal relatedness of seven multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, as well as three susceptible K. pneumoniae isolates collected during hospital outbreaks and outbreak-related microbiological surveillance, respectively. The relatedness among K. pneumoniae isolates was assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and automated repetitive-sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) genotyping and the results were compared to a proteomic phenotyping performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). All typing methods agreed on the generation of three different clusters of K. pneumoniae isogenetic/related MDR strains. After strengthening hospital infection control measures, no other spreading events involving MDR-K. pneumoniae were reported until the end of the observation period. This preliminary investigation suggests that, in a hierarchical approach to bacterial typing, MALDI-TOF MS proteome profiling might offer a fast and valuable preliminary screening tool able to support microbiologists during nosocomial outbreak surveys.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques / methods
  • Cross Infection / diagnosis
  • Cross Infection / epidemiology
  • Cross Infection / microbiology*
  • Cross Infection / prevention & control
  • Disease Outbreaks* / prevention & control
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial* / genetics
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Genotype
  • Hospitals, Pediatric*
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods
  • Klebsiella Infections / diagnosis
  • Klebsiella Infections / epidemiology
  • Klebsiella Infections / microbiology*
  • Klebsiella Infections / prevention & control
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / classification
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / drug effects
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / genetics
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / isolation & purification*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Phenotype
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Proteomics / methods
  • Rome / epidemiology
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents