KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains: A Threat to our Therapeutic Arsenal - Abstract
In the last decade, extremely drug-resistant KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains have emerged in the USA and sequentially in other parts of the world. In particular, K. pneumoniae producing carbapenemase (KPC) has been identified as a major public health threat because of the rapid plasmid mediated spread of resistance and limited available therapeutic options. These
strains are resistant to almost all available antibiotics and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Reported rates of mortality associated with KPC-Kp infections vary widely from 22%
to 72%. The detection of KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae strains belonging to CC11 in urban rivers is epidemiological evidence demonstrating that the environmental dissemination of high-risk
multiresistant bacteria is ongoing in Brazil and other countries.