Characterization of SHV-5 b-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an Intensive Care Unit. ; Caracterización de Klehsiella pneunioniae productora de la β-lactamasa SHV-5, en una unidad de cuidados intensivos

Objective. To perform the molecular characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from pediatric patients and health care workers at the intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City. Material and Methods. Fifteen Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates collected during an outbreak in June 1996 were analyzed; eight were from patients and seven from health care workers of Mexico’s Children’s Hospital. Characterization of isolates was carried out by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and serotyping, b-Lactamase isoelectric focusing (IEF), and nucleotide sequencing of PCR products. Results. Serotype 61 was predominant and correlated with genomic fingerprints of RAPD and PFGE in 11 of 15 isolates. One SHV-5- producer predominant clone with a high case-fatality rate was identified. Conclusions. Molecular biology techniques are useful tools to characterize the K. pneumoniae clone isolated from patients and health care workers, suggesting potential cross-transmission. These data call for strengthening control programs to prevent dissemination of nosocomial infections in the studied hospital. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/ salud/46/engKeyword: Klebsiella pneumoniae; bacterial typing techniques; electrophoresis, gel pulsed-field; polymerase chain reaction; random amplified polymorphic DNA technique; Mexico Solicitud de sobretiros: Dr. Jesús Silva. Departamento de Resistencia Bacteriana. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Centro de Investigación sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas. Avenida Universidad 655, colonia Santa María Ahuacatitlán 62508 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. Correo electrónico jsilva@correo.insp.mx ; Objetivo. Caracterizar molecularmente los aislamientos de Klebsiella pneumoniae obtenidos de pacientes pediátricos y del personal de salud en la unidad de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de tercer nivel de atención en la Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal. Material y métodos. Se ...