• Epidemiological and Genetic Overview of the Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemases (KPCs) in K. pneumoniae Isolated from the Clinical Samples in Iran
  • Hossein Keyvani ,1,* Narjes Mohammadi Bandari,2 Mohsen Zargar,3 Malihe Talebi,4 Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari,5
    1. Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences
    2. Department of Biology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
    3. Department of Biology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
    4. Department of biology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences
    5. Department of Biology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran


  • Introduction: The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), has been recently reported worldwide. Therefore, there is an indispensable need for precise and rapid detection of these carbapenemases.
  • Methods: One hundred and eighty-one K. pneumoniae strains were collected from patients presenting to Firoozgar Hospital of Tehran, Iran. The strains were tested using the disk diffusion method, the modified Hodge test (MHT), and E-test minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Next, reverse transcription-PCR method was applied for the identification of bla OXA-23 and bla OXA-48 genes. Finally, expression of genes was measured by real-time PCR assay in the presence and absence of β-lactam antibiotic.
  • Results: Phenotypic testing showed a high level of antibiotic resistance, while the genotypic methods indicated the presence and expression of carbapenemase genes.
  • Conclusion: The findings suggest revisions in the current antibiotic therapy protocols, considering the high expression level of resistant carbapenemases to K. pneumoniae strains.
  • Keywords: bla OXA-23, bla OXA-48, E-test, MHT, real-time PCR