Prevalence of serine carbapenemase genes among multi-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients in the departments of surgery and intensive care units

Abstract

The frequency of serine carbapenemases in phenotypically multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae obtained from patients of surgery and intensive care units in Belarus was assessed. Beta-lactamase genes KPC, OXA-48, OXA-23, and OXA-24 were detected by PCR in 115 phenotypically multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae. The most common carbapenemase gene was blaOXA-48 (70 %). The genes KPC and blaOXA-24 were identified in 43.6 and 39.1 % isolates, respectively. Single serine carbapenemase gene was detected in 23.5 % strains. On other strains, the molecular analysis determined double or triple carbapenemase gene combinations.