Nosocomial outbreak by NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae highly resistant to cefiderocol, Florence, Italy, August 2021 to June 2022

Abstract

A nosocomial outbreak by cefiderocol (FDC)-resistant NDM-1-producing <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> (NDM-Kp) occurred in a large tertiary care hospital from August 2021-June 2022 in Florence, Italy, an area where NDM-Kp strains have become endemic. Retrospective analysis of NDM-Kp from cases observed in January 2021-June 2022 revealed that 21/52 were FDC-resistant. The outbreak was mostly sustained by clonal expansion of a mutant with inactivated <i>cirA</i> siderophore receptor gene, which exhibited high-level resistance to FDC (MIC ≥ 32 mg/L) and spread independently of FDC exposure.