Title |
Detection of colistin-resistant populations prior to antibiotic exposure in KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates |
Author |
Jungyu Seo1, Yu Mi Wi2, Jong Min Kim3, Yae-Jean Kim4, and Kwan Soo Ko1 |
Address |
1Department of Microbiology and Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea, 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon 51353, Republic of Korea, 3Department of Pediatrics, Myongji Hospital, Goyang 10475, Republic of Korea, 4Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06355, Republic of Korea |
Bibliography |
Journal of Microbiology, 59(6),590–597, 2021,
|
DOI |
10.1007/s12275-021-0610-1
|
Key Words |
Klebsiella pneumoniae, colistin, heteroresistance |
Abstract |
Although colistin is frequently regarded as the antibiotic of
last resort in treating carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae,
colistin heteroresistance may in part be associated
with antibiotic treatment failure. However, we do not know
how widespread the colistin heteroresistance is in carbapenem-
resistant K. pneumoniae isolates. In this study, we performed
colistin disc diffusion assays, E-tests, and population
analysis profiling for KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae isolates
to identify colistin heteroresistance. Although no colistin-
resistant colonies were detected by the disc diffusion
test and E-test, a colistin-resistant subpopulation was identified
in population analysis profiling in all colistin-susceptible,
KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae isolates. Colistin-resistant
subpopulations were also identified even when isolates
had no colistin exposure. The ratio of colistin-resistant
subpopulations to the total population increased as the exposure
concentration of colistin increased. In in vitro time-kill
assays, regrowth was observed in all isolates after 2 h upon
exposure to colistin. We identified common amino acid alterations
in PhoQ, PhoP, and PmrB in colistin-resistant subpopulations
from some isolates, but no substitutions were
found in most resistant subpopulations from other isolates.
In all colistin-resistant subpopulations, overexpression of
PhoQ and PbgP was observed. In this study, we demonstrated
that colistin heteroresistance may be common in KPC-2-producing
K. pneumoniae isolates, which could not be detected
in the disc diffusion method and E-test. Colistin heteroresistance
may cause colistin treatment failure in part and may
evolve into resistance. Thus, development of more reliable
diagnostic methods is required to detect colistin heteroresistance. |