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Molecular typing of clinical multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates

Mehdi Kashefieh1,2,3, Habib Zeighami4, Hossein Samadi Kafil3

  • 1Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Molecular Biology Reports
|March 13, 2024
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

This study identified frequent antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Both multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA) and ERIC-PCR molecular typing methods effectively discriminated between these resistant bacterial isolates.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Epidemiology

Background:

  • Klebsiella pneumoniae is a significant opportunistic pathogen responsible for hospital-acquired and antibiotic-resistant infections.
  • High rates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae pose a substantial threat to public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the antibiotic resistance frequency in K. pneumoniae isolates.
  • To perform molecular typing of K. pneumoniae isolates using MLVA and ERIC-PCR.
  • To compare the discriminatory power of MLVA and ERIC-PCR for epidemiological typing.

Main Methods:

  • One hundred K. pneumoniae isolates were collected from various hospital infection sources.
  • Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.
  • Molecular typing was performed using multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA) and Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR).

Main Results:

  • Eighty-six (86%) of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR).
  • Resistance to ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and ceftriaxone was most frequent (100%, 93%, 93%).
  • MLVA yielded 37 types and ERIC-PCR yielded 38 types, with discriminatory powers of 0.958 and 0.974, respectively.

Conclusions:

  • Both MLVA and ERIC-PCR are valuable molecular tools for the epidemiological typing of K. pneumoniae.
  • Combining PCR-typing methods with phenotypic resistance patterns enhances isolate discrimination.
  • These methods offer high performance in distinguishing between K. pneumoniae isolates.
Keywords:
Klebsiella pneumoniaeAntibiotic resistanceERIC-PCR typingMLVA typingMolecular genotyping

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