PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Al-Zahrani, Ibrahim A.
AU  - Alasiri, Bander A.
TI  - The emergence of carbapenem-resistant <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> isolates producing OXA-48 and NDM in the Southern (Asir) province, Saudi Arabia
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2018.1.21094
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 23--30
VI  - 39
IP  - 1
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/39/1/23.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/39/1/23.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2018 Jan 01; 39
AB  - 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.