Spread of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates Producing NDM-Type Metallo-β-Lactamase in Myanmar

Abstract

A total of 38 isolates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae harboring <i>bla</i>_NDM were obtained during surveillance of 10 hospitals in Myanmar. Of these 38 isolates, 19 (50%) harbored genes encoding 16S rRNA methylases, such as <i>armA</i> or <i>rmtB</i>. The K. pneumoniae strains tested belonged to 17 sequence types (STs), including the high-risk clonal lineages ST101 and ST147. The ST101 and ST147 isolates carried IncFII plasmids harboring <i>bla</i>_NDM-5 and IncFIB(pQil) plasmids harboring <i>bla</i>_NDM-1, respectively. These results indicate that IncFII plasmids harboring <i>bla</i>_NDM-5 and IncFIB(pQil) plasmids harboring <i>bla</i>_NDM-1 have been spreading in K. pneumoniae ST101 and ST147 isolates, respectively, in Myanmar. <b>IMPORTANCE</b> The emergence of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has become a serious problem in medical settings worldwide. The present study demonstrated that carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae strains have been spreading in medical settings in Myanmar. In particular, plasmid genes encoding NDMs and 16S rRNA methylases have been spreading in K. pneumoniae high-risk clones.