Convergence of two serotypes within the epidemic ST11 KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae creates the “Perfect Storm” in a teaching hospital

OBJECTIVES: ST11 KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) is highly prevalent in China. We investigated the inter- and intra- host transmission and evolution characteristics of ST11 KPC-producing Kp. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a hospital. The clinical data and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotypes were collected. Whole genome sequencing was performed. The transmission route was reconstructed by combining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the clinical information. Hypervirulent Kp (HvKp) was defined as the presence of some combination of peg-344, iroB, iucA, rmpA, or rmpA2. RESULTS: Fifty-eight Kp strains isolated from thirty-five patients were enrolled. The information of one isolate was missing. The mean age of the patients was 74.3 ± 18.0 years, and 18 (50.0%) were female. Fifteen patients (41.7%, 15/36) presented with poor prognosis. All the strains were identified as ST11, and 57 strains harbored bla(KPC-2). Two distinguished clades were identified based on the 1,325 high quality SNPs. In clade 1, carbapenem-resistant (CR)-hvKp accounted for 48.3% of the strains (28/58), which mostly presented as KL64 subclones, whereas CR-classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKp) commonly possessing KL47 were clustered in Clade 2. One CR-hvKp strain might have originated from the CR-cKp strain from within-host evolution. Even worse, a prolonged transmission of CR-hvKp has led to its spread into healthcare institutes. CONCLUSION: Two endemic subclones of ST11 KPC-producing Kp, KL64-CR-hvKp and KL47-CR-cKp, were transmitted in parallel within the hospital and/or the healthcare institute, suggesting that the ongoing genomic surveillance should be enhanced. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08924-8.