Emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae-producing KPC-2 carbapenemase in Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil

The emergence of KPC-2 producing K. pneumoniae in hospitalized patients at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a teaching hospital located in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, is reported. Seven carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae recovered from different body sites of infection were analyzed. Most isolates showed a multidrug-resistance phenotype. Genotypic analysis demonstrated the presence of two genotypes, with the predominance of genotype A, which belongs to ST 437. These isolates also carry the encoding genes of five other beta-lactamases.