Emergence of OXA-232 Carbapenemase-Producing <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> That Carries a pLVPK-Like Virulence Plasmid among Elderly Patients in China

Abstract

This study reported the clonal dissemination of OXA-232-producing sequence type 15 (ST15) carbapenem-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> among elderly patients in China. All patients were immunocompromised, suffered from multiple underlying diseases, and were hospitalized for a prolonged period; however, they slowly recovered on antimicrobial therapy. The <i>bla</i>_OXA-232 gene was in a 6.1-kb ColKP3-type nonconjugative plasmid. The strains displayed a multidrug resistance phenotype and were not hypervirulent despite harboring a virulence plasmid. Active surveillance should be enforced to control further transmission.