Multicenter Study of Colistin Heteroresistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains in China
Yuesong Weng, Tao Wang, Bin Huang, Hua Yu, Wei Jia, Bin Shan, Fen Qu, Yi‐Wei Tang, Liang Chen, Hong Du
Abstract
The problem of CRKP has raised alarms concerning global health. Our study enriches the epidemiological study of colistin heteroresistance among CRKP strains in China, where the prevalence of this phenomenon was previously unknown. Importantly, colistin-heteroresistant strains may cause the failure of clinical treatment with colistin, even if the clinical laboratory reports that the strains are sensitive. The commonly used broth microdilution method is unable to detect this special phenomenon. Additionally, our results indicate that efflux pumps play a major role in colistin heteroresistance, and inhibitors can effectively reverse it. Our study is the first to provide a detailed analysis of the prevalence of colistin heteroresistance in China, as well as an analysis of the genetic mechanisms of this phenomenon.