A comparative study of genotyping and antimicrobial resistance between carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii isolates at a tertiary pediatric hospital in China.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) clinical isolations have rapidly increased in pediatric patients. To investigate a possible health care-associated infections of CRKP in a tertiary pediatric hospital, the circulating clones and carbapenem-resistant pattern between CRKP and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) isolates were compared to classify their epidemiological characteristics. The results will help to identify the epidemic pattern of the CRKP transmission in the hospital. Methods: Ninety-six CRKP and forty-eight CRAB isolates were collected in Kunming Children's Hospital from 2019 through 2022. These isolates were genotyped using repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (REP-PCR). Carbapenemase phenotypic and genetic characterization were investigated using a disk diffusion test and singleplex PCR, respectively. In addition, these characteristics of the two pathogens were compared. Conclusions: These CRKP isolates exhibited different biological and genetic characteristics with dynamic changes, suggesting widespread communities. Continuous epidemiological surveillance and multicenter research should be carried out to strengthen the prevention and control of infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]