Antimicrobial Resistance and Molecular Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Fresh Meat

Abstract

A significant multidrug-resistant (MDR) human pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of hospital infections linked to high morbidity and mortality because there are few effective treatment options. Antibiotic resistance is a major global health concern due to the quick emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae in clinical and animal-derived settings. Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from fresh meat is the main purpose of the current investigation, which aims to identify its molecular characteristics and antimicrobial resistance. During the study meat samples were collected from various butcher’s shops of district Abbottabad. The samples were processed and culture on the surface of MacConkey media for K. pneumonia strains isolation. One K. pneumonia strains were isolated from fresh meat by giving pink colonies on the surface of MacConkey agar media. Biochemical characterization was conducted to characterize isolates of pathogens. The biochemical test results show that isolate was positive towards catalase test result while negative towards indole and motility test results. After that, the bacterial growth was processed for testing for antibiotic susceptibility. The antibiotics employed in this investigation were amoxicillin, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, amikacin, meropenem, colistin, and tigecycline. The isolate was identified as a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae by the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence and the construction of phylogenetic trees. The isolate seemed to have a close evolutionary relationship with other strains of K. pneumoniae. K. pneumonia is still common in many regions of the world, including Pakistan, according to findings; thus, effective management and treatment are necessary to eradicate this infection. Precautionary steps, such as avoiding self-medication and inappropriate antibiotic usage, can help lower this resistance.

Keywords: K. Pneumonia, Antimicrobial Resistance, Molecular Characterization, ESBL