Genetic characterization and virulence determinants of multidrug-resistant NDM-1-producing Aeromonas caviae

ST11 KPC-2-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Patient with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia

Background

The emergence of the ST11-CRKP (ST11-CRKP) strain is expected to become a serious public health problem in China. As one of the most serious complications in patients with acute myeloid lymphoma, infections can cause systemic infection and life-threatening sepsis, seriously affecting the morbidity, mortality, and quality of life of patients. Thus, ST11-CRKP infections in patients with acute myeloid lymphoma are worthy of our attention.

Aim

To investigate the occurrence and genetic characteristics of the ST11-CRKP from a patient with acute myeloid lymphoma.

Methods

Species identification was determined by MALDI-TOF MS. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was conducted by VITEK 2 system with AST-N335 panel. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using Snippy based on the core-genome SNPs.

Findings

S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE), Southern blot and Whole-genome analysis indicated blaKPC-2 genes were located on plasmids with a conserved genetic environment. Moreover, the eight ST11-CRKP strains carry a variety of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors. The ability of biofilm formation of eight strains was verified by a crystal violet assay. Core genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (cgSNP) analysis suggesting a possible bacterial translocation event.

Conclusion

We performed a comprehensive analysis of ST11-CRKP strains from a patient with acute myelocytic leukemia. Our study emphasized the need for continuous surveillance of ST11-CRKP in the clinic especially in the immunocompromised population.