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384664

Antimicrobial resistance pattern and molecular characterization of hypervirulent <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> among hospital-acquired infections in the intensive care unit

Article

Last updated: 01 Feb 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

Background:  A variant of Klebsiella pneumoniae has emerged more than twenty years ago and was named “hypervirulent" K. pneumoniae (hvKp). This variant can be differentiated from the “classic" K. pneumoniae (cKp) by its hypermucoviscosity and being incriminated in invasive infections affecting healthy individuals as well as those with immune suppression. Aim: This study aimed to detect the frequency of hvKp in intensive care units among hospital acquired K. pneumoniae infections, and to analyze the differences in antimicrobial resistance patterns and molecular characteristics between hvKp and cKp. Methods : A total of 127 K. pneumoniae isolates were recovered from different hospital acquired infections. These isolates were subjected to string test for detection of hypermucovuscosity, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, biofilm formation, and detection of virulence-associated genes (iucA, rmpA, rmpA2, magA) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Out of 127 K. pneumoniae isolates, 57 (44.9%) isolates showed the hypermucoviscous phenotype and 41.7% were hvKp. The rmpA, rmpA2 and magA genes were significantly associated with hvKp. All K. pneumoniae isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR) exhibited high resistance rates for most of the tested antibiotics. Biofilm production was detected in 46/53 (86.8%) of hvKp and in 48 out of 74 (64.9%) cKp isolates. Conclusion: HvKp was frequently isolated from hospital acquired infection specifically ICU patients with a warning rate of antimicrobial resistance and high rate of biofilm formation. String test remains an easy and simple phenotypic test however, genotypic detection of hvKp virulence genes remains the gold standard confirmatory tool for identification of these strains.

DOI

10.21608/mid.2024.321686.2227

Keywords

Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, string test, hypermucovuscosity, Biofilm, virulence-associated genes

Authors

First Name

Aya

Last Name

Bedawy

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Email

ayabedawy12@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Alaa

Last Name

Abdel-Kareem

MiddleName

Osama

Affiliation

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Email

alaa.mustafa.111@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Rehab

Last Name

Ateya

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Email

rehab_ateya@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Asmaa

Last Name

Elsheikh

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of anesthesia, Intensive Care and pain management, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Email

names_109@hotmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Eman

Last Name

Elgharabawy

MiddleName

Salah

Affiliation

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Email

purity_2010@hotmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

6

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

53078

Issue Date

2025-02-01

Receive Date

2024-09-17

Publish Date

2025-02-01

Page Start

288

Page End

298

Print ISSN

2682-4132

Online ISSN

2682-4140

Link

https://mid.journals.ekb.eg/article_384664.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=384664

Order

28

Type

Original Article

Type Code

1,157

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Microbes and Infectious Diseases

Publication Link

https://mid.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Antimicrobial resistance pattern and molecular characterization of hypervirulent <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> among hospital-acquired infections in the intensive care unit

Details

Type

Article

Created At

01 Feb 2025