Characterization of Extended Spectrum $\beta$-Lactamase Genotype TEM, SHV, and CTX-M Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Korea

To investigate the antibiotic-resistant patterns and the gene types of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, we collected 226 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains from three general hospitals with more than 500 beds in Busan, Korea from September 2004 to October 2005. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics was measured using the Gram-negative susceptibility (GNS) cards of Vitek (Vitek system, Hazelwood Inc., MO, U.S.A.). Of the 226 K. pneumoniae isolates, 65 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains were detected by the Vitek system and confirmed by the double-disk synergy test. TEM (Temoniera) type, SHV (sulfhydryl variable) type, and CTX-M (cefotaxime) type genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. All 65 K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to ampicillin, cefazolin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, and aztreonam, and 83.0% of the organisms were resistant to ampicillin/ sulbactam, 66.1% to tobramycin, 67.6% to piperacillin/ tazobactam, 61.5% to ciprofloxacin, and 47.6% to trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole, and 43.0% to gentamicin. TEM-type ESBLs (TEM-1 type, -52 type) were found in 64.6% (42 of 65) of the isolates, SHV-type ESBLs (SHV-2a type, -12 type, -28 type) in 70.7% (46 of 65) of isolates, and CTX-M-type ESBLs (CTX-M-15 type) in 45% (29 of 65) of isolates. Of the 65 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains, two strains were found to harbor blaSHV-28, which were detected in Korea for the first time. Therefore, more investigation and research on SHV-28 are needed in order to prevent the ESBL type-producing K. pneumoniae from spreading resistance to oxyimino cephalosporin antibiotics.