Molecular Characterization of f Carbapenemase Producing Klebsiella Pneumoniae Dominance of OXA-48, KPC, VIM and NDM Producers in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Abdelhakam Hassan Ibrahim Ali and Al Fadhil A Omer

Background and Objectives: Little is known about carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPK) in Sudan. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CPK in a major hospital in Khartoum, Sudan between may 2015 - January 2017 and to characterize the isolates and detect the types of carbapenemase (s) they produced.

Materials and Methods: The study was done in the Department of Molecular Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratories Science, Al-Neleen University. All the isolates were obtained from clinical samples of patients treated inside the hospitals. Strains of K. pneumoniae resistant to at least one carbapenem (imipenem or meropenem) by using disc diffusion technique according to the CLSI guidelines were included in this study. Molecular detection of carbapenemase genes was achieved using Real-Time PCR (Sacace Biotechnologie, Italie).

Results: A total 96 strains of K. pneumoniae of different non duplicated isolates were obtained from different hospitals. Seventy-two percent (70/96) isolates were positive for carbapenemase genes; 59.4% (57/96) were positive for blaKPC genes, 57.3% (55/96) were positive for blaNDM genes, 37.5% (36/96) were positive for blaVIM genes and 35.4% (34/96) were positive for blaOXA-48 genes. Nineteen isolates possessed four genes (blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM and blaOXA-48), fourteen isolates possessed three genes{( blaNDM, blaVIM and blaOXA-48=6), (blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaOXA-48=3), (blaKPC, blaNDM and blaVIM =3), (blaKPC, blaVIM and blaOXA-48=2)}, 27 isolates possessed two genes{( blaKPC and blaNDM =21), (blaKPC, blaOXA-48=2), (blaNDM and blaVIM =3), (blaNDM and blaOXA-48=1)}, 10 isolates possessed only one gene (blaKPC =8, blaOXA-48=1 and blaVIM =1) and the remaining 26 isolates were free from these genes.

Conclusion & Recommendation: In Sudan, the most common type of carbapenemase gene multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae is KPC. Co-production of KPC, VIM, NDM and OXA-48 genes are found in K. pneumoniae. To our knowledge, this study was done for the first time in Sudan. Therefore, it is necessary to determine carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae isolates and take essential infection control precautions to avoid spread of this resistance.

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