Occurrence and genetic diversity of ESBL producing Klebsiella species isolated from livestock and livestock products

Klebsiella species have been at the center of attention over the recent years due to its role in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance and is not only associated with nosocomial but also with food related infections worldwide. In this study, out of 336 samples of animal intestinal and foods of animal origin screened, 99 samples were found to harbor Klebsiella spp. Out of 99 isolates, 89 were Klebsiella pneumoniae and 10 were found to be Klebsiella oxytoca by mPCR. The isolates were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test including ESBL detection by genotypic (PCR) and phenotypic (disc diffusion) methods. beta-Lactamase genes were identified in 32 isolates of K. pneumoniae and an isolate of K. oxytoca, blaSHV being the predominant gene detected (31) followed by blaTEM, blaCTX-M1, and blaCTX-M9 (one each), whereas single K. oxytoca isolate harbored blaCTX-M2 gene. Genetic fingerprinting of beta-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae using ERIC-PCR and REP-PCR differentiated all the 32 strains with discriminatory power of 1.