Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections and Outcomes

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has emerged as a critical global health challenge, driven by its capacity to withstand last-resort β-lactam antibiotics and cause severe nosocomial and community-acquired infections. These infections range from bloodstream and respiratory tract invasions to urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections, with particularly high mortality observed in intensive care settings. CRKP strains often harbour carbapenemase enzymes that hydrolyse carbapenems, coupled with additional resistance mechanisms such as porin mutations and efflux pump overexpression. The clinical course of CRKP infection is characterised by prolonged hospital stays, increased intensive care admissions and elevated healthcare costs, with mortality rates frequently exceeding 40% in bloodstream infections. Surveillance studies underscore the rapid expansion of predominant sequence types, notably ST11 and ST258, across diverse geographical regions. Preventive measures, including stringent infection control, antimicrobial stewardship and rapid molecular diagnostics, alongside the development of novel therapeutic combinations and adjunctive treatments, are central to mitigating the burden of CRKP. Ongoing research aims to characterise emerging resistance determinants, optimise empirical therapy and evaluate the efficacy of new β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor regimens and bacteriophage-based approaches.

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Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections and Outcomes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in carbapenem-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae infections and outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Carbapenem: A class of broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotics reserved for severe or resistant bacterial infections.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP): Strains of K. pneumoniae that produce carbapenem-hydrolysing enzymes or exhibit other mechanisms reducing susceptibility to carbapenems.

Nomogram: A graphical calculating tool that predicts the probability of a clinical event by incorporating multiple prognostic variables.

Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI): A scoring system that quantifies a patient’s burden of comorbid conditions to predict mortality risk.

References

1. Development of prediction models for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae acquisition and prognosis in adult patients. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024).
2. Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae over 3 Years (2019–2021) in a Tertiary Hospital in Bucharest, Romania. Antibiotics (2024).
3. Systematic review and meta-analysis of mortality of patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials (2017).