Detection of bla KPC-2 in Proteus mirabilis in Brazil

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Adriane Borges Cabral, Maria Amélia Vieira Maciel, Josineide Ferreira Barros, Marcelo Maranhão Antunes, Ana Catarina Souza Lopes
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2015
• Subjects: Proteus mirabilis; blaKPC-2; Plasmid DNA; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0152-2014; https://doaj.org/article/13987403fc2f4b6cbaaa6b8a5251d471

INTRODUCTION : Infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing isolates pose a major worldwide public health problem today. METHODS : A carbapenem-resistant Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate was investigated for plasmid profiles and the occurrence of β-lactamase genes. RESULTS : The isolate exhibited resistance to ertapenem and imipenem and was susceptible to meropenem, polymyxin, and tigecycline. Five plasmids were identified in this isolate. DNA sequencing analysis revealed the presence of bla KPC-2 and bla TEM-1 genes. An additional PCR using plasmid DNA confirmed that bla KPC-2 was present in one of these plasmids. Conclusions: We report the detection of bla KPC-2 in P. mirabilis in Brazil for the first time. This finding highlights the continuous transfer of bla KPC between bacterial genera, which presents a serious challenge to the prevention of infection by multidrug-resistant bacteria.