KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae rectal colonization is a risk factor for mortality in patients with diabetic foot infections.

To evaluate the relationship between carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) gut colonization and mortality in diabetic patients with a foot infection (DFI) we performed a single-centre, retrospective, matched case-control study. In the study period, we identified 21 patients with DFI who had KPC-Kp gut colonization and 21 controls. The 90-day mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with colonized guts (47%) than the controls (4%) (p 0.013). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that gut colonization with KPC-Kp was the only independent predictor of mortality: odds ratio 13.33, 95% CI 1.90-272.80, p 0.024. In patients with DFI, KPC-Kp gut colonization appears to be an important risk factor for mortality.