Detection of KPC-2 in a clinical isolate of Proteus mirabilis and first reported description of carbapenemase resistance caused by a KPC beta-lactamase in P. mirabilis

J Clin Microbiol. 2008 Sep;46(9):3080-3. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00979-08. Epub 2008 Jul 16.

Abstract

An isolate of Proteus mirabilis recovered from blood cultures of a diabetic patient was shown to be resistant to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem by disk diffusion susceptibility testing. Amplification of whole-cell and/or plasmid DNA recovered from the isolate with primers specific for the bla(KPC) carbapenemase gene produced an amplicon of the expected size which was confirmed to be bla(KPC-2) by sequence analysis. Transformation of a susceptible Escherichia coli host with plasmid preparations from the isolate generated a transformant for which the MICs of all of the carbapenems tested were increased three- to fourfold. We believe this to be the first report of carbapenem resistance in P. mirabilis caused by the acquisition of bla(KPC).

MeSH terms

  • Ampicillin / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Cefazolin / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Imipenem / pharmacology
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Proteus mirabilis / drug effects*
  • Proteus mirabilis / genetics
  • beta-Lactam Resistance / genetics
  • beta-Lactamases / genetics*
  • beta-Lactamases / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Imipenem
  • Ampicillin
  • beta-lactamase KPC-2
  • beta-Lactamases
  • Cefazolin

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AAK70220