Third generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae thriving in patients and in wastewater: what do they have in common?

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae are ubiquitous bacteria and recognized multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens that can be released into the environment, mainly through sewage, where they can survive even after wastewater treatment. A major question is if once released into wastewater, the selection of lineages missing clinically-relevant traits may occur. Wastewater (n = 25) and clinical (n = 34) 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates were compared based on phenotypic, genotypic and genomic analyses.