Limited Transmission of Klebsiella pneumoniae among Humans, Animals, and the Environment in a Caribbean Island, Guadeloupe (French West Indies)
Alexis Dereeper, Gaëlle Gruel, Matthieu Pot, David Couvin, Elodie Barbier, Sylvaine Bastian, Jean–Christophe Bambou, Moana Gelu‐Siméon, Séverine Ferdinand, Stéphanie Guyomard-Rabenirina, Virginie Passet, Frédéric Martino, Pascal Piveteau, Yann Reynaud, Carla Rodrigues, Pierre‐Marie Roger, Xavier Roy, Antoine Talarmin, B. Tressières, Marc Valette, Sylvain Brisse, Sébastien Breurec
Abstract
In this study, we characterized the presence and genomic features of isolates of the Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex (KpSC) from human and nonhuman sources in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) in order to identify the reservoirs and routes of transmission. This is the first study in an island environment, an ideal setting that limits the contribution of external imports. Our data showed the limited transmission of KpSC isolates between the different compartments. In contrast, we identified the hospital setting as the epicenter of antibiotic resistance due to the nosocomial spread of successful multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae clones and antibiotic resistance genes. Ecological barriers and/or limited exposure may restrict spread from the hospital setting to other reservoirs and vice versa. These results highlight the need for control strategies focused on health care centers, using genomic surveillance to limit the spread, particularly of high-risk clones, of this important group of MDR pathogens.