KPC-Producing Extreme Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolate from a Patient with Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Renal Failure on Hemodialysis in South Korea

Abstract

The prevalence of extended-spectrum -lactamases (ESBLs) has limited the available therapeutic options and necessitated the increased use of carbapenems against Klebsiella pneumoniae infections. In response to use of carbapenems, carbapenem resistance has developed and flourished. In 1996, a new -lactamase termed "K. pneumoniae carbapenemase" (KPC) was reported in New York, NY (12). Subsequently, KPC-producing K. pneumoniae has been spread worldwide (9). However, it has not hitherto been reported in South Korea. We report a case of infection with a KPC-producing extreme drugresistant (XDR) K. pneumoniae isolate in a tertiary care hospital in South Korea.