Hypermucoviscous uropathogenic strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase: An experience in South Indian tertiary care hospital

Klebsiela pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), belongs to Enterobacteriaceae family and is the most pathogenic species that is prominently reasons for infections such as septicaemia, pneumonia and also urinary tract infections (UTIs). The UTIs is due to Gram negative bacteria and could be both nosocomial and also community acquired which are very difficult to treat as a consequence of antibiotics resistance. The increased incidence of antibiotic resistance among these healthcare associated uropathogenic strains of K. pneumoniae leads to increase in mortality, morbidity rates makes the treatment of UTIs less cost effective. Increase in multidrug-resistance and production of extended spectrum Beta- lactamases (ESBLs) by uropathogenic K. pneumoniae strains which are of a greater public health concern. This study was conducted to know the occurrence of hypermucoviscosity and ESBL production in K. pneumoniae isolates from urine samples in a tertiary care medical college hospital in Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. K. pneumoniae isolates were characterized from urinary tract samples by using standard microbiological procedures showing hypermucoviscosity which were screened to test antibiotic sensitivity by using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion and also by double disk synergy test (DDST) for presumptive ESBL production. In our study we found, among 80 samples of uropathogenic K. pneumoniae isolates, 78(97.5%) were hypermucoviscous or hypervirulent, 19(23.7%) isolates were found to be ESBL producers. This shows that ESBL producing K. pneumoniae isolates had a greater capacity to produce hypermucoviscosity (100%) than non-ESBL producing K. pneumoniae isolates (96.7%).