The prevalence and Cephalosporins Antibiotic Resistance Profile ofKlebsiella Pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Iraq

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an encapsulated, Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped and oxidase-negative bacterium. Klebsiella pneumoniae belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. K. pneumoniae are widely distributed throughout nature, especially in soil, water, and animals; and they can colonise medical equipment and the healthcare environment. In recent years, this bacterium has acquired high resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics such as β lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones and cephalosporin. The present study, aimed: to detect Klebsiella pneumoniae in different clinical specimens and detect their Antibiotic resistance profile to the cephalosporin group. Methods: A total of ۱۱۵ clinical specimens including sputum, blood, urine, burn, wound and stool swabs were obtained from both genders and different ages. The samples were streaked on the blood and MacConkey agars and the bacterial growth was identified by using biochemical tests and the Vitek®۲ system to confirm it. The antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using an antibiotic susceptibility kit card (Vitek® ۲ AST Reference number ۴۱۳۰۸۳, bioMerieux, France). Results: Out of ۱۱۵ clinical samples, K. pneumonia was recorded in ۵۳ (۴۶%) cases. The highest isolation rate of Klebsiella pneumonia was in urine ۲۶ (۴۹%), followed by sputum ۱۲ (۲۲%) and blood ۹ isolates (۱۷%), stool ۲ (۴%), wound and burn swab ۳ (۶%) and the least isolation was in CSF with one isolate (۲%). Furthermore, females were more affected by ۲۹ (۵۵%) with K. pneumonia than males ۲۴ (۴۵%) and most infected patients were with age group ≥۳۰ years. The results revealed that Klebsiella pneumonia isolates were highly resistant to Cephalosporins ۳rd generation class including Cefotaxime and Ceftazidime (۸۷%), Cephalosporins ۴th generation class including Cefepime (۷۳%). Conclusion: Klebsiella pneumoniae may be considered as risk factor for urinary tract infection and females have a greater chance of developing Klebsiella pneumonia infection, and it is important to monitor the circulation of K. pneumoniae resistant to the Cephalosporin Antibiotic Group to prevent the spread of clones causing difficult-to-treat infections. These findings indicate that the high resistance of K. pneumoniae to cephalosporins is a result of various resistance mechanisms, including the presence of specific resistance genes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Klebsiella pneumonia ، antibiotic resistance ، Cephalosporins Antibiotic ، Vitek۲ System.