Frontiers in antibiotics
Genomic insights into multidrug and extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae from bloodstream infections at three Zambian tertiary hospitals
By Chizimu JY, Kamboyi HK, Kasanga M and 21 others.
Abstract
Background
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of hospital-associated infections and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide. Despite its importance and prioritisation in Zambia's National Action Plan on AMR, genomic surveillance information in sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. This study investigated the population structure, determinants of AMR, and plasmid diversity of K. pneumoniae isolates from three tertiary hospitals in Zambia.
Methods
Thirty archived K. pneumoniae blood isolates collected between December 2023 and May 2025 from University Teaching Hospitals (UTH), Ndola University Teaching Hospital (NUTH), and Livingstone University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and whole-genome sequencing (Illumina NextSeq 2000). Sequence types (STs), plasmid replicons, and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) were identified using MLST, PlasmidFinder, and the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database, respectively.