Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2013, 01, 1338─1342

Detection of clonal KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 in Korea during nationwide surveillance in 2011

JungSik Yoo, Hye Mee Kim, Jae Il Yoo, Ji Woo Yang, Hwa Su Kim, Gyung Tae Chung and Yeong Seon Lee

Abstract

This study analysed the characteristics and genetic similarity of recent Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC-2)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Korea. Recent laboratory surveillance detected an increase in carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Korea. A total of 6 KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae were identified from 277 Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates. All were sequence type (ST) 258 and they had the same pulsotype. They had high MICs for carbapenems and multi-drug resistance. TEM-1, SHV-11 and OXA type b-lactamases were detected in all isolates, whereas CTX-M type b-lactamases and plasmid-mediated AmpC blactamase (PABL) were not present. A conjugation experiment failed, but blaKPC-2-harbouring plasmids from the six isolates were used to transform Escherichia coli DH5-a by electroporation. Each of the transformants harboured a blaKPC-2-positive approximately 95 kb plasmid, which was typed in the IncFII incompatibility group and co-harboured TEM-1 and OXA-9 b-lactamases. They shared the same restriction profile. This study confirms the emergence of clonal ST258 KPC-2- producing K. pneumoniae in some regions of Korea.

• ISBN or ISSN: 0022-2615

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제(과제번호 2011-N44001-00) 연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund(code 2011-N44001-00) by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.