Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) Residents Colonized With Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae Lineages Frequently Causing Infections in Portuguese Clinical Institutions
Abstract
Our study reveals alarming (and increased) colonization rates by MDR non-Ec Enterobacteriaceae among LTCFs residents. These rates represent a challenge for these institutions in terms of antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention and control, and they highlight the risk of further dissemination to healthcare professionals, residents' families, and the community in general.
Most of the Klebsiella pneumoniae lineages (ST11 [wzi75], ST15 [wzi19/wzi24], and ST348 [wzi94]) identified are the same lineages involved in infections in clinical institutions from the same region, evidencing a higher risk of infection among this vulnerable population. The variability observed on the acquired antibiotic resistance genes among colonization/infection isolates in our settings suggests an open genome of such lineages for plasmid exchange.