ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1628592
This article is part of the Research TopicNext-Generation Technologies for Antibiotic Susceptibility TestingView all 4 articles
Molecular Characteristics and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Multicenter Study in Ningbo, China
Provisionally accepted
Hongfei Shi
Yanye Tu*
Hong Li*
Hui Gao
Feng WangWei Zhang
Min Jiang
Qian Sun
Zheng BaoXiangwei YangYanzi Chang- Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
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Objective: To analyze the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) isolates in Ningbo, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for hospital infection control strategies and the implementation of precise clinical diagnosis and treatment protocols. Methods:Clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were collected from multiple centers in Ningbo, total of 88 CR-KP strains were identified using the broth dilution method for carbapenem resistance screening.The sequencing data were analyzed using online tools to obtain information on MLST, KL type, virulence genes, and resistance genes. Phylogenetic relationships were constructed using SNP software. For plasmid characterization, the PlasmidFinder online tool was utilized to identify plasmid replicon genes.Results: Among the 88 CR-KP isolates, MLST typing revealed that ST11 was the predominant sequence type, accounting for 61.36% (54/88), with KL64 being the dominant capsular type. Among the non-ST11 CR-KP isolates, the ST15 type accounted for 41.18% (14/34), with KL19 being the predominant capsular serotype. The carriage rate of virulence genes—including rmpA2, fyuA, and 10 other genes—was significantly higher in ST11 CR-KP compared to non-ST11 CR-KP (p < 0.05). Analysis of resistance genes revealed that ST11 CR-KP primarily carried blaKPC-2 (100%, 54/54), whereas the resistance gene profiles among non-ST11 CR-KP isolates were more diverse, including blaNDM, blaIMP, and blaOXA. Plasmid typing indicated that ST11 CR-KP predominantly harbored IncFII (98.15%, 53/54) and RepB (72.22%, 39/54) plasmid types.Conclusion: In the Ningbo region, CR-KP is predominantly of the ST11-KL64 type, exhibiting both strong antimicrobial resistance and high virulence characteristics. Non-ST11 CR-KP isolates carry genetically diverse carbapenemase genes and mobile genetic elements (e.g., IncX3, ColKP3). ST11 CR-KP strains demonstrate significantly stronger resistance profiles compared to non-ST11 strains. Therefore, stringent control over the use of carbapenem antibiotics is essential, along with measures to prevent the spread of resistance plasmids and the continuous improvement of hospital infection control strategies.
Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Carbapenem resistance, Resistance genes, virulence genes, plasmids Introduction
Received: 14 May 2025; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Tu, Li, Gao, Wang, Zhang, Jiang, Sun, Bao, Yang and Chang. 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:
Yanye Tu, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
Hong Li, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
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