The Resistance Phenotype and Molecular Epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Bloodstream Infections in Shanghai, China, 2012–2015

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.pneumoniae) is a common nosocomial pathogen causing bloodstream infections. Antibiotic susceptibility surveillance and molecular characterization will facilitate prevention and management of K. pneumoniae bloodstream infections. K. pneumoniae isolates causing bloodstream infections were consecutively collected between January 2012 and December 2015 in Shanghai. Eighty isolates (20 per year) were randomly selected and enrolled in this study. Drug susceptibility were determined by the disk diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), carbapenemases, and seven housekeeping genes of K. pneumoniae. eBURST was used for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). More than 50% isolates were resistant to cefuroxime, ampicillin-sulbactam, and piperacillin, while carbapenems had lower resistant rates than other antibiotics. Of the 80 isolates, 22 produced ESBLs, and 14 were carbapenemase producers. In the ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates, the most common ESBL genes were bla(SHV) and bla(CTX−M). Thirteen carbapenemase producers harbored bla(KPC−2) and one other carried bla(NDM−5). ST11 (14/80) was the most frequent sequence type (ST), followed by ST15 (7/80) and ST29 (4/80). Our data revealed high prevalence of antibiotic resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from bloodstream infections but their genetic diversity suggested no clonal dissemination in the region. Also, one K. pneumoniae isolate harbored bla(NDM−5) in this study, which was firstly reported in Shanghai.