Caracterización del complejo Citrobacter freundii en Chile: mecanismos de resistencia a carbapenémicos y epidemiología.
Loading...
Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
La resistencia a antibióticos (RA) es un desafío global, y el complejo Citrobacter freundii contribuye a ello, ya que emergen como un patógeno clínico grave debido a su capacidad para desarrollar resistencia a múltiples antibióticos, incluidos los carbapenémicos. En Chile, la emergencia de cepas productoras de carbapenemasas de C. freundii y la falta de datos epidemiológicos sobre estas generan una brecha en el conocimiento necesario para implementar medidas de control efectivas. Por esta razón, el objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la epidemiología molecular de las cepas del complejo C. freundii aisladas en hospitales chilenos, así como identificar las carbapenemasas que estas producen. De los resultados obtenidos, 9 de las 27 cepas analizadas presentaron resistencia a carbapenémicos, siendo identificados los genes de carbapenemasas blaKPC, blaNDM y blaVIM. Además, el análisis de los secuenciotipos (STs) reveló que el ST22 es altamente prevalente, y destaca como un clon de alto riesgo, lo que subraya la importancia de su vigilancia. Estos hallazgos subrayan la importancia de la vigilancia epidemiológica para monitorizar la diseminación y evolución de las cepas y perfiles de resistencia, lo cual es crucial para mejorar las estrategias de control y vigilancia de estas.
Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a global challenge, and strains of the Citrobacter freundii complex contribute to this, emerging as a serious clinical pathogen due to their ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenems. In Chile, the emergence of carbapenemase-producing C. freundii and the lack of epidemiological data on these strains create a gap in the necessary knowledge to implement effective control measures. For this reason, the aim of this study was to determine the molecular epidemiology of C. freundii strains isolated from Chilean hospitals, as well as to identify the carbapenemases they produce. From the results obtained, 9 out of 27 analyzed strains were resistant to carbapenems, with the carbapenemase genes blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaVIM identified. Additionally, the analysis of sequence types (STs) revealed that ST22 is highly prevalent, and stands out as a high-risk clone, highlighting the importance of its surveillance. These findings underscore the importance of epidemiological surveillance to monitor the spread and evolution of strains and resistance profiles, which is crucial for improving control and surveillance strategies for hospital-acquired infections.
Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a global challenge, and strains of the Citrobacter freundii complex contribute to this, emerging as a serious clinical pathogen due to their ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenems. In Chile, the emergence of carbapenemase-producing C. freundii and the lack of epidemiological data on these strains create a gap in the necessary knowledge to implement effective control measures. For this reason, the aim of this study was to determine the molecular epidemiology of C. freundii strains isolated from Chilean hospitals, as well as to identify the carbapenemases they produce. From the results obtained, 9 out of 27 analyzed strains were resistant to carbapenems, with the carbapenemase genes blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaVIM identified. Additionally, the analysis of sequence types (STs) revealed that ST22 is highly prevalent, and stands out as a high-risk clone, highlighting the importance of its surveillance. These findings underscore the importance of epidemiological surveillance to monitor the spread and evolution of strains and resistance profiles, which is crucial for improving control and surveillance strategies for hospital-acquired infections.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al grado de Magíster en Bioquímica y Bioinformática.
Keywords
Enterobacteriaceae, Genética bacteriana, Farmacorresistencia microbiana