ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Antibiot.
Sec. Antibiotic Resistance
Antimicrobial Resistance and Real-Time PCR Detection of blaKPC in Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Wound Infections in Tertiary care Hospital
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shaqra University College of Applied Medical Sciences - Shaqra, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia
- 2Department of Microbiology Damesh college, Faridkot, India 151203, faridkot, India
- 3Government Medical College, Srinagar, India
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Word count: 338 Word count: 335 Word count: 332 Word count: 329 Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is the common Gram-negative bacterium associated with wounds. Another severe issue in terms of the problem of treating diseases and a public health concern is the emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria, particularly the bla KPC carrying ones. This research aimed to detect bla KPC gene and determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of K. pneumoniae isolates that were collected in the form of wounds specimens of a tertiary care hospital located in North India. Methods: There were 1,080 wound swab specimens collected between October 2023 and September 2024. The isolates were identified as K. pneumoniae using the VITEK-2 identification system and biochemical tests. Using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test and broth microdilution, antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed and interpreted in accordance with CLSI guidelines. Using the Modified Hodge Test, carbapenemase production was assessed and the real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique and 16S rRNA as the internal control, the bla KPC gene was found in isolates that were resistant to meropenem. Results: Meropenem resistance was found in 110 out of 560 isolates of K. pneumoniae (19.6%). Furthermore, these isolates were also resistant to many drugs; over 90% of them were resistant to amikacin, ceftazidime, ampicillin, and cefazolin. The qPCR revealed that all 110 meropenem-resistant isolates had the bla KPC gene, with PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values ranging from 12 to 32. In meropenem-sensitive isolates of negative controls, NA was created. In 83.6 percent of the isolates, the Bla KPC gene resistance was greater than 16 ug/ml in meropenem MICs. The diagnostic performance of the qPCR assay has an AUC of 0.99. The meropenem MICs of 83.6 % of isolates exhibited bla KPC gene resistance was >16 µg/mL Conclusion: The study concludes that K. pneumoniae isolates exhibit a concerning rate of carbapenem resistance mediated by the bla KPC gene. Antimicrobial stewardship and molecular surveillance are crucial for preventing the spread of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae in clinical settings.
Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae, antimicrobial resistance, bla KPC gene, Real-Time PCR, Meropenem resistance
Received: 06 Sep 2025; Accepted: 09 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alotaibi, Syed, Almufarriji and Tantry. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bilal Ahmad Tantry
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