Detection of KPC-2 in a clinical isolate of Proteus mirabilis and first reported description of carbapenemase resistance caused by a KPC beta-lactamase in P. mirabilis.
An isolate of Proteus mirabilis recovered from blood cultures of a diabetic patient was shown to be resistant to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem by disk diffusion susceptibility testing. Amplification of whole-cell and/or plasmid DNA recovered from the isolate with primers specific for the bla(KPC) carbapenemase gene produced an amplicon of the expected size which was confirmed to be bla(KPC-2) by sequence analysis. Transformation of a susceptible Escherichia coli host with plasmid preparations from the isolate generated a transformant for which the MICs of all of the carbapenems tested were increased three- to fourfold. We believe this to be the first report of carbapenem resistance in P. mirabilis caused by the acquisition of bla(KPC).
Tibbetts
R
R
Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63122, USA.
Frye
J G
JG
Marschall
J
J
Warren
D
D
Dunne
W
W
D000667:Ampicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002437:Cefazolin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011513:Proteus mirabilis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D018440:beta-Lactam Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015378:Imipenem; D000667:Ampicillin; C491478:beta-lactamase KPC-2; D001618:beta-Lactamases; D002437:Cefazolin