Microbiology Research Journal International

Carbapenems are the beta-lactams of choice for treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant klebsiella pneumoniae and are also regarded as a last resort for the treatment of potentially fatal health-care-associated infections. However, carbapenem resistance has been widely reported as a result of the production of carbapenemases such as the New Delhi metallo beta lactamase 1(NDM-1) by the bacterium. NDM-1 is an enzyme that confers resistance to all ß-lactams, particularly carbapenems. The bla_NDM-1 gene is carried by plasmids and hence moves easily to other microorganisms via horizontal gene transfer, thereby increasing the probability of emergence of drug-resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. The main objective of this study was to study the prevalence of bla_NDM-1 induced carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae isolated from clinical specimens in Imo state, Nigeria. Out of the 200 clinical specimens examined, 75 were positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae representing 37.5% of the total number examined (x²=14.74, P=0.0053).  The prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae in this study was 52(69.3%) while the prevalence of NDM-1 genes among the Carbapenem-resistant isolates of K. pneumoniae was 4(8%). The results obtained revealed the presence of the New Delhi metallo Beta lactamase 1 (NDM-1) in Klebsiella pneumoniae from clinical specimens in Imo state, Nigeria. Hence, reinforcement of infection control measures is required to eliminate the spread of these resistant genes.