Antimicrobial resistance, virulence genes profiles and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains from captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

This study aimed to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), virulence genes, and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) strains isolated from giant pandas. The screening of 178 nonduplicated Klebsiella pneumoniae strains identified eight CRKP strains, with the most abundant ARGs observed in ampC/blaDHA, blaSHV-01, blaSHV-02, tetB-01, tetB-02, tetC-01, and tetC-02. MGE analysis revealed the presence of intI1 in all strains, while other MGEs exhibited varying detection rates. Strain 24 exhibited the highest diversity in terms of MGE species. Seven virulence genes including wabG, uge, ycf, entB, kpn, alls, and wcaG, showed positive results with different proportions across the strains. Molecular epidemiology analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns indicated a high level of genetic diversity among the CRKP strains. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) analysis classified the strains into different sequence types (STs). In conclusion, this study highlighted the diverse nature of CRKP strains found in giant pandas, which exhibited varying levels of antibiotic resistance along with multiple ARGs and virulence genes present. These findings emphasized the importance of monitoring and researching antibiotic resistance within wildlife populations to safeguard the health status of these endangered animals.