Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) has gained prominence in the last two decades due to its global spread as a multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen. Further, carbapenem-resistant Kp are emerging at an alarming rate. The objective of this study was (1) to evaluate the prevalence of β-lactamases, especially carbapenemases, in Kp isolates from India, and (2) determine the most prevalent sequence type (ST) and plasmids, and their association with β-lactamases. Clinical samples of K. pneumoniae (n = 65) were collected from various pathology labs, and drug susceptibility and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were detected. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed for n = 22 resistant isolates, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) (n = 4), extensively drug-resistant (XDR) (n = 15), and pandrug-resistant (PDR) (n = 3) categories, and genomic analysis was performed using various bioinformatics tools. Additional Indian MDRKp genomes (n = 187) were retrieved using the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) database. Detection of β-lactamase genes, location (on chromosome or plasmid), plasmid replicons, and ST of genomes was carried out using CARD, mlplasmids, PlasmidFinder, and PubMLST, respectively. All data were analyzed and summarized using the iTOL tool. ST231 was highest, followed by ST147, ST2096, and ST14, among Indian isolates. bla_ampH was detected as the most prevalent gene, followed by bla_CTX-M-15 and bla_TEM-1. Among carbapenemase genes, bla_OXA-232 was prevalent and associated with ST231, ST2096, and ST14, which was followed by bla_NDM-5, which was observed to be prevalent in ST147, ST395, and ST437. ST231 genomes were most commonly found to carry Col440I and ColKP3 plasmids. ST16 carried mainly ColKP3, and Col(BS512) was abundantly present in ST147 genomes. One Kp isolate with a novel MLST profile was identified, which carried bla_CTX-M-15, bla_OXA-1, and bla_TEM-1. ST16 and ST14 are mostly dual-producers of carbapenem and ESBL genes and could be emerging high-risk clones in India.

Ashutosh Bagchi

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