Background: Carbapenem resistance among Klebsiella pneumoniae is an emerging problem worldwide. One of the main mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems is the potential of Klebsiella pneumoniae to produce carbapenemase enzyme.This study was conducted to determine the frequency of bla_VIM, bla_IMP, and bla_KPC among carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) isolated from Kurdistan and Isfahan hospitals.
Materials and methods: This study was carried out in Iran using 183 samples from the Besat and Alzahra hospitals in 2017. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion. The modified Hodge test (MHT) was used to investigate the presence of carbapenemase. The β -lactamases genes were detected by PCR.
Results: The highest and lowest rates of resistance were observed against cefotaxime (98.2%) and gentamicin (43.6%), respectively. Among the 183 isolates, 134 (73.2 %) were positive by the MHT. The prevalence rates of bla_VIM, bla_IMP, and bla_KPC were 4 (2.18%), 1 (0.5%), and 0%, respectively.
Conclusion: The prevalence of CRKP strains is a major concern and infection control processes are needed. These gene showed a low prevalence in our country, likely because other mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems are involved.