Rapid Identification of Clinical Isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae using MALDI-TOF MS from North India

Abstract

Infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae are increasing day by day. K. pneumoniae poses a severe public health concern and causes wide array of healthcare associated infections with limited treatment options. The quick detection of these isolates is of prime importance for the adoption of proper antibiotic treatment and control measures. Also the mis identification using standard lab-based methods is quite common and hence, the clinical significance of K. pneumoniae complex members is inaccurately defined. Here, authors evaluated the potential of MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight) MS (Mass Spectrometry) to discriminate and quick identification K. pneumoniae complex members. Thus, this study aimed at full MALDI-based approach to rapidly detect the K. pneumoniae isolates up to species level. We also explored the antibiotic resistance profile of K. pneumonia isolates using CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) guidelines. These results demonstrate the potential of MALDI-TOF MS for precise identification of K. pneumoniae complex members and could be effectively utilized in the routine diagnostic microbiology laboratories.