Patient-to-Patient Transmission of Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase Variants with Reduced Ceftazidime-Avibactam Susceptibility

We report patient-to-patient transmission of Enterobacter hormaechei isolates with reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime-avibactam due to production of KPC-40, a variant of KPC-3 with a two-amino-acid insertion in the fl-loop region (L167_E168dup). The index patient had received a prolonged course of ceftazidime-avibactam therapy, whereas the second patient had not received the agent and still became colonized with the KPC-40-producing strain. The complex dynamics of KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) described here highlight several key diagnostic and therapeutic considerations.