Chung The, Hao; Karkey, Abhilasha; Pham Thanh, Duy; Boinett, Christine J; Cain, Amy K; Ellington, Matthew; Baker, Kate S; Dongol, Sabina; Thompson, Corinne; Harris, Simon R; +11 more... Jombart, Thibaut; Le Thi Phuong, Tu; Tran Do Hoang, Nhu; Ha Thanh, Tuyen; Shretha, Shrijana; Joshi, Suchita; Basnyat, Buddha; Thwaites, Guy; Thomson, Nicholas R; Rabaa, Maia A; Baker, Stephen; (2015) A high-resolution genomic analysis of multidrug-resistant hospital outbreaks of Klebsiella pneumoniae. EMBO molecular medicine, 7 (3). pp. 227-239. ISSN 1757-4676 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201404767
Permanent Identifier
Use this Digital Object Identifier when citing or linking to this resource.
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae has become a leading cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. Despite its prominence, little is known about the genetic diversity of K. pneumoniae in resource-poor hospital settings. Through whole-genome sequencing (WGS), we reconstructed an outbreak of MDR K. pneumoniae occurring on high-dependency wards in a hospital in Kathmandu during 2012 with a case-fatality rate of 75%. The WGS analysis permitted the identification of two MDR K. pneumoniae lineages causing distinct outbreaks within the complex endemic K. pneumoniae. Using phylogenetic reconstruction and lineage-specific PCR, our data predicted a scenario in which K. pneumoniae, circulating for 6 months before the outbreak, underwent a series of ward-specific clonal expansions after the acquisition of genes facilitating virulence and MDR. We suggest that the early detection of a specific NDM-1 containing lineage in 2011 would have alerted the high-dependency ward staff to intervene. We argue that some form of real-time genetic characterisation, alongside clade-specific PCR during an outbreak, should be factored into future healthcare infection control practices in both high- and low-income settings.