Emergence of Oxacillinase-Mediated Resistance to Imipenem in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella pneumoniae strain 11978 was isolated in Turkey in 2001 and was found to be resistant to all beta-lactams, including carbapenems. Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli identified five beta-lactamases, including two novel oxacillinases. The beta-lactamase OXA-48 hydrolyzed imipenem at a high level and was remotely related (less than 46% amino acid identity) to the other oxacillinases. It hydrolyzed penicillins and imipenem but not expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. The bla(OXA-48) gene was plasmid encoded and not associated with an integron, in contrast to most of the oxacillinase genes. An insertion sequence, IS1999, was found immediately upstream of bla(OXA-48). Another plasmid that encoded a…