Heat-resistant, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in endoscope-mediated outbreak

Although clpK has been associated with clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae in earlier outbreaks, this is the first time that a ClpK-producing strain has been isolated from an environmental outbreak source. Heat resistance of certain K. pneumoniae strains may facilitate survival in biofilms on medical equipment and hence increase the potential of those strains to persist and disperse in the hospital environment.