This study reports on the characterization of a Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolate showing high-level resistance to ceftazidime-avibactam associated with the production of KPC-53, a KPC-3 variant exhibiting a Leu167Glu168 duplication in the Ω-loop and a loss of carbapenemase activity. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed the presence of two copies of blaKPC-53, located on a pKpQIL-like plasmid and on a plasmid prophage of the Siphoviridae family, respectively. The present findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of resistance to ceftazidime-avibactam.
Keywords: CZA resistance; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales; mutant KPC carbapenemase; phagemid.
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