Dynamics and molecular features of OXA-48-like-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae lineages in a Tunisian hospital

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular features of genes, plasmids and clones of OXA-48-like producingKlebsiella pneumoniae isolates recovered in Sahloul Hospital (Sousse, Tunisia) in the period 2012–2014. Methods: In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing, S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE), Southern blotting and PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) were performed. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemases genes were detected by PCR and sequencing. The clonality of isolates was assessed by PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results: Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for 26.8% (1095/4083) of clinical Enterobacterales isolates identified during 2012–2014, of which 21.9% (240/1095) were resistant to carbapenems, mostly harbouring blaOXA-48-like genes (196/240; 81.7%). Plasmid analysis showed that blaOXA-204 and blaOXA-48 were mostly carried by IncA/C and IncL plasmids, respectively. The current data highlight the dominance of two ST101 and ST147 lineages spreading OXA-48 and OXA-204, respectively, through successive clonal spreads at this hospital. In addition, a large diversity of other K. pneumoniae lineages was also identified, such as ST15, ST36 and ST525 spreading OXA-48 as well as ST340, ST2032, ST301, ST199 and ST1561 spreading OXA-48 or OXA-204, constituting a reservoir of possible dominant clones in the future. Conclusion: This study reports the full molecular characterisation of carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae and the predominance of a few clones responsible for the dissemination of OXA-48 and OXA-204 enzymes in a Tunisian hospital.

Keywords

• Klebsiella pneumoniae
• OXA-48
• OXA-204
• Sequence type
• Tunisia