Prevalence of bla-NDM Gene in the Carbapenem Drug-Resistant Klebsiella spp. Isolated From the Tertiary Care Centre, India.

Background and Aim: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global threat and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared AMR is one of 10 public health threatsfacing humanity. An increase in Carbapenem resistance is the major problem that hinders patient treatment. Various genes are responsible for carbapenem resistance but the gene bla-NDM can inactivate various carbapenem antibiotics namely meropenem and imipenem etc. Therefore, this study aimed to observe the prevalence of the bla-NDM gene in the carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella spp. isolates. Materials and Methods: The isolates of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella spp. were collected from the central diagnostic laboratory, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, India after obtaining ethical clearance. The isolates were screened for carbapenem resistance using the Rapidec Carba NP method. The presence of bla-NDM was confirmed using the conventional PCR technique. Results & Conclusion: Most of the isolates showed resistance to ampicillin, gentamycin, cefazolin, imipenem, and meropenem. 45% of the isolates of K. pneumonia showed resistance to the carbapenem group of antibiotics and 20% of the K. oxytoca showed carbapenem resistance. Among the carbapenem-resistant 23.75% of K. pneumonia showed the presence of the bla-NDM gene and 6.6% of K. oxytoca showed the presence of the bla-NDM gene. Continuous increase in carbapenem drug-resistant organisms is worrisome and the judicious usage of antibiotics should be practiced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]