Identification of IS1R and IS10R elements inserted into ompk36 porin gene of two multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae hospital strains

Hospital Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (n = 196) were collected in 2012-16 from the patients of a Moscow neurosurgical intensive care unit. Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were multidrug-resistant and carried beta-lactamase genes blaSHV (97.4% of strains), blaCTX-M (84.7%), blaTEM (56.1%), blaOXA-48-like (49.0%) and blaNDM-1 (one strain), class 1 integrons (43.4% of strains) and porin protein ompK36 gene (100% of strains). The ompK36 porin protein gene disruption by insertion sequence (IS) elements and OmpK36 production loss in two strains were detected in this study. Outer membrane proteins were isolated according to Carlone et al. (Rapid microprocedure for isolating detergent-insoluble outer membrane proteins from Haemophilus species. J Clin Microbiol 1986;24:330-2). The IS10R element belonging to the IS4 family, IS10 group was detected at the position of the 41st nucleotide of the ompK36 gene in K. pneumoniae strain KPB-2304K/15 (the first report for a certain IS element in K. pneumoniae). The IS1R element belonging to the IS1 family was identified at the position of the 86th nucleotide of the ompK36 gene in the K. pneumoniae strain KPB-367K/15 (novel insertion site for IS1 element into ompK36 gene). DNA transfer of the intact ompK36 gene into the strain KPB-367K/15 by vector plasmid restored OmpK36 porin protein production and resulted in a decrease of imipenem minimal inhibitory concentration. Such data confirm the importance of IS elements in ongoing multidrug-resistant evolution in hospital Klebsiella.