Abstract
The spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae,
especially carbapenems and aminoglycosides, is a global public health
challenge. Studying the genetic relatedness of bacteria from various
sources, such as humans, animals, food, and the environment, can help
identify potential routes of transmission and the extent of
dissemination. In this study, we examined the phenotypes and genetic
features of MDR K. pneumoniae isolates. Seventy K. pneumoniae strains
were selected from different sources (clinics (n=55), environmental
(n=7), and animals (n=8)), 43 of which were identified as carrying the
blaKPC resistance gene, with a subset featuring both blaKPC-2 and
blaKPC-3 variants, with different susceptibility profiles to
aminoglycosides, and whole genome sequencing was used for phylogenetic
analyses. Among them, 84% (n=59/70) and 53% (n=37/70) were resistant
to amikacin and gentamicin, respectively. In addition, 93% (n=65/70) of
the isolates harbored resistance genes, such as aminoglycoside-modifying
enzymes (AMEs) and different plasmid types. Phylogenetic tree analyses
showed two main clusters (A and B), and the multilocus sequence type
(ST) 11 was the most frequently found among Brazilian isolates. Our
findings showed a heterogeneous distribution of STs profiles in the two
clusters, and a close relationship between human and animal or
environmental K. pneumoniae strains.