Phenotypic detection and phylogenetic analysis of MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii from Peshawar.

Aims: The emergence of antibiotics resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae threatens the efficacy of the treatment regime. This study was carried out to evaluate the antibiotic resistance and phylogenetic relatedness in the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producers K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii. Methodology and results: In the current study, nine clinical samples from inpatients at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) were taken from the City Medical Laboratory, Peshawar (Pakistan). Morphological, biochemical and molecular identification of the bacterial strains showed that 6 isolates were K. pneumoniae while 3 were A. baumannii. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using software Finch TV, Codon code aligner and Mega X. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles showed that 89% of isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Sixty-seven (67%) of K. pneumoniae isolates were positive for the Modified Hodge test (MHT), Combined-disc test (CDT) and MBL test. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of metallo-β-lactamase positive strains were recorded up to 256 μg/mL. MIC values for K. pneumoniae were relatively higher as compared to A. baumannii. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The presence of a high percentage of MBL producer multidrugresistant K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii isolates reported in this study may indicate a major problem for clinicians by complicating the treatment of infections in hospital settings and need immediate attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]