@article {Al-Zahrani23, author = {Ibrahim A. Al-Zahrani and Bander A. Alasiri}, title = {The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates producing OXA-48 and NDM in the Southern (Asir) province, Saudi Arabia}, volume = {39}, number = {1}, pages = {23--30}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.15537/smj.2018.1.21094}, publisher = {Saudi Medical Journal}, abstract = {Objectives: To identify the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and the most common types of cabapenemases among CRKP in the Southern (Asir) province hospitals, Saudi Arabia.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted between late April and September in 2015. A total of 54 Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) isolates with reduced sensitivity to carbapenems were obtained from various clinical specimens of the 2 largest hospitals in the Southern province. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of carbapenems were confirmed using E-test. Molecular detection of the most common carbapenemase genes (blaIMP, bla-carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinase [OXA-48], blaVIM, bla-New Delhi metallo-{\ss}-lactamas [NDM], and blaKPC) was performed using multiplex-polymerase chain reaction.Results: The current study found that increasing age and intensive care unit admission were associated with CRKP isolation. The major type of carbapenemases was OXA-48 with 81.5\% (n=44) and it seems to reach an endemic level. New Delhi metallo-{\ss}-lactamas (NDM) was the second most frequent carbapenemase by 7.4\% (n=4) of isolates while Verona integron-encoded metallo-{\ss}-lactamase (VIM) was reported only in one isolate.Conclusion: Saudi Arabia receives large numbers of visitors and migrant workers from OXA-48 and NDM endemic countries such as Turkey, India, and Pakistan every year.}, issn = {0379-5284}, URL = {https://smj.org.sa/content/39/1/23}, eprint = {https://smj.org.sa/content/39/1/23.full.pdf}, journal = {Saudi Medical Journal} }