Investigation on antimicrobial resistance patterns of Klebsiella spp. isolated from patients of Bangladesh

Abstract

In Bangladesh, the burden of AMR is rising due to widespread antibiotic misuse and poor infection control measures, yet data on local resistance patterns are limited. Klebsiella spp., particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae, a WHO Priority group 1 pathogen for new antibiotic development, poses serious public health threats worldwide due to its high emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and hypervirulent strains. In this study, clinical isolates of Klebsiella spp. were collected from diverse specimens from Brahmanbaria, Khulna, Feni, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, and were detected by PCR and gel electrophoresis followed by Antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The results showed a high prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae with significant resistance to beta-lactams and third-generation cephalosporins. In particular, the isolates showed higher resistance against amoxicillin-clavulanate (87.5%), cefipime (83.3%), nitrofurantoin (83.3%), azithromycin (75%), and ceftazidime (71.4%). Interestingly, 97% cases from the retrospective study showed MDR, whereas, 48% and 16% of the prospective clinical isolates showed MDR and XDR traits, respectively. This highlights the increasing threat of Klebsiella pneumoniae to warrant optimized antimicrobial stewardship in clinical settings of Bangladesh.