Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae in a Tertiary Care Setting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7492/d16g1b89Keywords:
Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem resistance, CRKP, carbapenemases, New Delhi metallo- beta-lactamase, OXA-48, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, nosocomial infections, antibiotic stewardship, molecular epidemiologyAbstract
Background: The escalating global burden of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents one of the most formidable challenges confronting
contemporary clinical microbiology and infectious disease management. The dissemination of carbapenemase-encoding genes—including blaₙᴅᴹ, blaₒˣᴬ⁴⁸, and blaᴷᴘᴄ—
across healthcare settings has severely curtailed therapeutic alternatives, resulting in elevated morbidity and mortality, particularly among critically ill and
immunocompromised patients.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of CRKP among clinical isolates recovered at a tertiary care hospital; to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility profile
of all K. pneumoniae isolates; to identify the distribution of carbapenemase-encoding resistance genes via molecular assays; and to correlate clinical and demographic
variables with resistance patterns.
