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. 2023 Jul 2;12(7):1143.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12071143.

Evaluation of the Ability to Form Biofilms in KPC-Producing and ESBL-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Samples

Carolina Sabença  1   2   3   4 , Eliana Costa  5 , Sara Sousa  5 , Lillian Barros  6   7 , Ana Oliveira  8 , Sónia Ramos  9 , Gilberto Igrejas  2   3   4 , Carmen Torres  10 , Patrícia Poeta  1   4   11   12
Affiliations

Evaluation of the Ability to Form Biofilms in KPC-Producing and ESBL-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Samples

Carolina Sabença et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

The appearance of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), and carbapenemase (KPC) has turned into a significant public health issue. ESBL- and KPC-producing K. pneumoniae's ability to form biofilms is a significant concern as it can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance and prolong infections in healthcare facilities. A total of 45 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from human infections. Antibiograms were performed for 17 antibiotics, ESBL production was tested by Etest ESBL PM/PML, a rapid test was used to detect KPC carbapenemases, and resistance genes were detected by PCR. Biofilm production was detected by the microtiter plate method. A total of 73% of multidrug resistance was found, with the highest resistance rates to ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, cefotaxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and aztreonam. Simultaneously, the most effective antibiotics were tetracycline and amikacin. blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaSHV, aac(3)-II, aadA1, tetA, cmlA, catA, gyrA, gyrB, parC, sul1, sul2, sul3, blaKPC, blaOXA, and blaPER genes were detected. Biofilm production showed that 80% of K. pneumoniae strains were biofilm producers. Most ESBL- and KPC-producing isolates were weak biofilm producers (40.0% and 60.0%, respectively). There was no correlation between the ability to form stronger biofilms and the presence of ESBL and KPC enzymes in K. pneumoniae isolates.

Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae; Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC); antimicrobial resistance; biofilm; extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of K. pneumoniae clinical isolates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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