Molecular typing and resistance mechanisms of imipenem-non-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae in Taiwan: results from the Taiwan surveillance of antibiotic resistance (TSAR) study, 2002-2009.

We investigated the molecular mechanisms and clonality of imipenem-non-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates collected during a Taiwan national surveillance programme, between 2002 and 2009. Genes for carbapenemases, plasmid-borne ampC-type genes and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes were analysed by PCR. The major porin channels OmpK35 and OmpK36 were studied by SDS-PAGE. Molecular typing was performed with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Our study revealed that all 29 of the isolates tested were ESBL producers. Of the K. pneumoniae isolates collected in Taiwan from 2002 to 2009, most (84.6 %, 11/13) imipenem-resistant (MIC >2 mg l(-1)) isolates carried the bla(IMP-8) gene. Isolates with an imipenem MIC of 2 mg l(-1) produced ESBLs with or without DHA-1 in combination with OmpK35/36 loss. PFGE analysis revealed that six small clusters of isolates were clonally related. The MLST grouping results were in concordance with the PFGE results. The predominant sequence types (ST) were ST11, ST48 and ST101. Two novel STs, ST1033 and ST1034, were found. The dominant clone in Taiwan, ST11, has been reported worldwide to be associated with various resistance mechanisms.