Lateral dissemination and inter-patient transmission of<i>bla</i>_KPC-3: role of a conjugative plasmid in spreading carbapenem resistance

Abstract

We describe intra- and inter-patient dissemination of blaKPC. The involvement of a clone related to the successful K. pneumoniae ST258 and the blaKPC-3 gene detected in an active Tn4401 transposon carried on a conjugative broad-host-range plasmid increased the potential for this horizontal transmission.