Fifteen Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates harbouring bla NDM genes were identified from blood and sputum specimens of patients at a tertiary-care facility (Yangon General Hospital, Yangon, Myanmar) in 2018. Two of the isolates belonged to sequence type (ST) 11, an international high-risk clone. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that these two isolates were clustered together with other ST11 isolates originating from other countries. The isolates harboured the bla NDM-5 gene on an IncFII-type plasmid that is prevalent among carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Yangon but has rarely been found in other ST11 isolates. Our data suggests the regional presence of the ST11 international high-risk clone and its acquisition of an endemic bla NDM-5-carrying plasmid.
Keywords: IncFII; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Myanmar; blaNDM-5; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.