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The Presence of Virulent and Multidrug-Resistant Clones of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Southeastern Brazil

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Abstract

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents an urgent threat to global public health due to the limited therapeutic options available to control this pathogen. This study aims to analyze the molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and virulence profile of CRKP isolated from patients at hospitals in Southeastern Brazil. KPC and other beta-lactamase genes were detected in all strains, which were also multidrug-resistant (MDR). In addition, 11 strains showed resistance to last-resort antimicrobials, such as colistin and tigecycline. MLST analysis revealed eight different sequence types (ST11, ST37, ST147, ST340, ST384, ST394, ST437, and ST628), being two (ST628 and ST394) reported for the first time in Brazil. Strains belonging to the clonal complex 258 (CC258) “high-risk clones” were prevalent in this study. The Galleria mellonella model showed the emergence of virulent CRKP strains in the healthcare environment and, suggests that colistin-resistant strains were associated with higher virulence. This study shows the presence of virulent CRKP-MDR strains in hospitals across Southeastern Brazil, and draws attention to the presence of highly virulent emerging CRKP-MDR ST628 strains, showing that virulent and resistant clones can emerge quickly, requiring constant monitoring.

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Funding

National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—CNPq (Grant No. 432065/2018-0); Higher Education Improvement Coordination—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001; Research Productivity Scholarship Program at the University of the State of Minas Gerais (PQ/UEMG 10/2022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Molecular Biology and Bacterial Virulence Laboratory, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, s/no, Maruípe, Vitória, ES, 29043-900, Brazil

    Mirla Borghi, Monalessa Fábia Pereira & Ricardo Pinto Schuenck

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, State University of Minas Gerais, Carangola, MG, Brazil

    Monalessa Fábia Pereira

Authors
  1. Mirla Borghi
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  2. Monalessa Fábia Pereira
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  3. Ricardo Pinto Schuenck
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Contributions

Conceptualization: [MB, MFP, RPS]; Methodology: [MB, MFP]; Formal analysis and investigation: [MB, MFP]; Writing—original draft preparation: [MB]; Writing—review and editing: [MB, MFP, RPS]; Funding acquisition: [RPS]; Supervision: [RPS]. All authors reviewed and approved the submitted version.

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Correspondence to Ricardo Pinto Schuenck.

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The present research was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Espírito Santo under number nº 707.303.

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Borghi, M., Pereira, M.F. & Schuenck, R.P. The Presence of Virulent and Multidrug-Resistant Clones of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Southeastern Brazil. Curr Microbiol 80, 286 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03403-z

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