Introduction: New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM-Kpn) strains have been causing healthcare-associated infections worldwide. The aim of this study was to describe the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and to analyze the clonality of NDM-Kpn isolates collected between January 2019 and June 2020 from patients admitted to hospitals from the Lazio region, Italy.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on all NDM-Kpn strains; clonality and genetic relationships were further investigated.
Results: During the surveillance period, 17 NDM-Kpn isolates were obtained from 17 patients admitted to seven different hospitals. Eight different sequence types (STs) were detected: ST147 (n = 4), ST383 (n = 4), ST15 (n = 3), ST11 (n = 2), ST17 (n = 1), ST29 (n = 1), ST307 (n = 1) and the newly identified ST4853 (n = 1). Genetic relationships were further investigated by the WGS-based core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme, and 5 cluster types (CTs) were identified. Whereas a substantial overall heterogeneity among isolates was detected (8 different STs were identified out of 17 isolates), the strains within each cluster showed a very high level of genome similarity.
Discussion: Our study highlights the key role of surveillance, which allowed taking a picture of a part of the NDM-Kpn strains circulating in Italy, adding further insight into their molecular features.
Keywords: New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase; carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; healthcare-associated infections; surveillance.
© 2021 Spaziante et al.