Determining the resistance of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae to common disinfectants and elucidating the underlying resistance mechanisms

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection is a serious problem in hospitals worldwide, posing a particular risk to immunocompromised patients. Elimination strategies may prevent these drug-resistant bacteria from spreading within hospital environments. Here, the susceptibility of patient-derived CRKP strains to common chemical disinfectants and possible correlations between the presence of drug-resistance genes and increased resistance to disinfectants were investigated. Methods: The minimum inhibitory (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of common chemical disinfectants against each CRKP strain were determined using agar dilution; K. pneumoniae ATCC700603 served as a standard. The presence of the drug-resistance genes qac Delta E, qacA, acrA and qacE was determined using PCR. Results: A total of 27 clinically isolated CRKP strains collected in our hospital from 2011 to 2013 exhibited sensitivity to the following common chemical disinfectants in decreasing order of sensitivity: 75% ethyl alcohol >2% glutaraldehyde > "84'' disinfectant > 0.2% benzalkonium bromide > 2% iodine tincture > 1% iodophor > 0.1% chlorhexidine acetate. Of the 27 strains, 59, 41, 19 and 15% contained qac Delta E, qacA, acrA and qacE resistance genes; 15% carried acrA, qac Delta E and qacA, and 26% carried both qacA and qac Delta E. Comparative analysis indicated that drug-resistance genes were correlated with higher MIC values. Conclusion: These pan-resistant pathogenic CRKP strains contained various drug-resistance genes and exhibited relatively high resistance to ethyl alcohol, chlorhexidine acetate and iodophor. Monitoring the drug-resistance rates of CRKP strains displaying disinfectant resistance may facilitate appropriate and effective sterilisation and thus preventing the spread of these pan-resistant strains