Molecular characterization of a multiply resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae encoding ESBLs and a plasmid-mediated AmpC

Organisms encoding multiple antibiotic resistance genes are becoming increasingly prevalent. In this report we describe a multiply resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae which possesses at least five different β-lactamase genes. Isoelectric focusing, polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis identified TEM-1, multiple SHVs, OXA-9 and a plasmid-mediated ampC β-lactamase. Furthermore, Southern analysis and conjugation experiments established that most of the resistance genes were encoded on one large transferable plasmid. This report demonstrates the complexity of multiply resistant organisms.