ECDC warns of spike in cases of deadly bacterium strain

Stockholm [Sweden], February 15: Europe has seen an increased number of infections from a strain of antibiotics-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp), which is expected to lead to increased morbidity and mortality, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday.
Since 2021, the accumulated number of countries in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) reporting cases of hvKp sequence type 23 has increased from four to ten, while the number of cases reported has increased twelve-fold to 143, the agency said in a report.
The particular lineage "has increasingly acquired a variety of genes associated with resistance to carbapenems, a group of last-resort antibiotics used for the treatment of serious infections," the ECDC said.
According to the report, an infection can result in liver abscesses with metastatic spread, as well as pneumonia and lung abscesses.
Although "vulnerable patient populations" are at particular risk, there is also a "possibility of potentially untreatable infections in previously healthy adults," the ECDC said.
Another reason for concern is that sustained transmission between healthcare facilities has been confirmed despite preventative efforts, the ECDC said.
Further, the probability of further spread in healthcare settings in EU/EEA countries is "considered to be high," according to the report.
ECDC recommended updated courses of action such as enhanced infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, and the establishment of sufficient laboratory capacity to detect hvKp isolates including whole genome sequencing.
Source: Xinhua