Epidemiology and Whole-Genome Analysis of <i>NDM-1</i> -Producing <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> KP3771 from Tunisia

Abstract

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The whole-genome sequence (WGS) of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> KP3771 isolate was characterized. This strain was recovered from the urine sample of an 80-year-old man hospitalized in an intensive care unit of the University Hospital Tahar Sfar in Tunisia. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> WGS using a MiSeq platform was used. The assembled genome was subjected to several software analyses. <b><i>Results:</i></b> <i>K. pneumoniae</i> KP3771 was resistant to all antibiotics but colistin and tigecycline. WGS analysis found 18 transmissible genes encoding resistance markers, including <i>bla_NDM-1</i> and <i>bla_CTX-M-15</i> genes, which were carried by four plasmids belonging to the Inc Ib, IIk, and R groups. Three families of genes encoding virulence factors were detected, including adhesins (<i>fimH</i>, <i>fimA</i>, <i>fimB</i>, <i>fimC</i>, <i>mrkD</i>, <i>Kpn</i>, and <i>ycfM</i>), siderophores (enterobactin, aerobactin, and yersiniabactin siderophores), and protectin/invasin (<i>traT</i>). The strain was assigned to the sequence type 147. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> This study describes the genome of a carbapenemase-producing <i>K. pneumoniae</i> clinical isolate recovered in Tunisia. Bacteria WGS has become the reference technology to address epidemiological issues; this high level of information is particularly well suited to enrich epidemiological workflows' output.