Emergence of an MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae ST231 producing OXA-232 and RmtF in Switzerland

The increasing incidence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major challenge to public health. Despite the fact that the prevalence of carbapenemases among carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae varies geographically, the incidence of OXA-48-like enzymes has soared in recent years and is particularly high in some European countries, such as Spain and France (74% and 78% among carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae, respectively).1 A significant number of OXA-48 variants have been reported in the last decade. This includes OXA-232, a carbapenemase firstly identified in France in 20112 and thereafter found in several countries.3,4 Recently, an MDR K. pneumoniae ST231 co-producing OXA-232, the ESBL CTX-M-15 and the 16S rRNA methyltransferase RmtF conferring broad- spectrum resistance to aminoglycosides has emerged as a successful epidemic..