Epidemiology and Whole-Genome Analysis of NDM-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae KP3771 from Tunisia

Objectives: The whole-genome sequence (WGS) of Klebsiella pneumoniae KP3771 isolate was characterized. This strain was recovered from the urine sample of an 80-year-old man hospitalized in an intensive care unit of the University Hospital Tahar Sfar in Tunisia. Materials and Methods: WGS using a MiSeq platform was used. The assembled genome was subjected to several software analyses. Results: K. pneumoniae KP3771 was resistant to all antibiotics but colistin and tigecycline. WGS analysis found 18 transmissible genes encoding resistance markers, including bla(NDM-1) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes, which were carried by four plasmids belonging to the Inc Ib, IIk, and R groups. Three families of genes encoding virulence factors were detected, including adhesins (fimH, fimA, fimB, fimC, mrkD, Kpn, and ycfM), siderophores (enterobactin, aerobactin, and yersiniabactin siderophores), and protectin/invasin (traT). The strain was assigned to the sequence type 147. Conclusions: This study describes the genome of a carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae clinical isolate recovered in Tunisia. Bacteria WGS has become the reference technology to address epidemiological issues; this high level of information is particularly well suited to enrich epidemiological workflows' output.