OXA-48-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit in Palermo, Italy

Objectives Surveillance cultures are of great importance to detect the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria in high-risk settings and prevent the occurrence of colonization and clinical infection cases. We report the isolation of OXA-48-harbouring Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type (ST) 530 in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Palermo, Italy. Methods Since June 2009, a routine surveillance protocol is in place in the NICU of the University Hospital of Palermo, including nasal and rectal swabs obtained on a weekly basis to monitor the prevalence of colonization by methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MDR Gram-negatives and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci. Enter…