Dynamics of <i>bla</i> <sub>KPC-2</sub> Dissemination from Non-CG258 <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> to Other <i>Enterobacterales</i> via IncN Plasmids in an Area of High Endemicity
Ana Mercedes Rada, Elsa De La Cadena, Carlos A. Agudelo, Cesar Capataz, Nataly Orozco, Cristian Pallares, An Q Dinh, Diana Panesso, Rafael Ríos, Lorena Díaz, Adriana Correa, Blake Hanson, María Virginia Villegas, César A. Arias, Eliana Restrepo
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) pose a significant threat to global public health. The most important mechanism for carbapenem resistance is the production of carbapenemases. Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) represents one of the main carbapenemases worldwide. Complex mechanisms of bla KPC dissemination have been reported in Colombia, a country with a high endemicity of carbapenem resistance. Here, we characterized the dynamics of dissemination of bla KPC gene among CRE infecting and colonizing patients in three hospitals localized in a highly endemic area of Colombia (2013 and 2015).