Preserving the antimicrobial arsenal: exploring alternatives to carbapenems in ESBL battles within the southeast of Ireland.

Carbapenems are usually employed as first-line antimicrobials against bacteria harbouring extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). These enzymes confer resistance often to multiple classes of antimicrobials. This indiscriminate use of carbapenems and the inevitable development of carbapenem resistance have prompted the need for carbapenem-sparing strategies.

A geographic cluster of healthcare-associated carbapenemase-producing hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 23.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae has typically been associated with invasive, community-associated infections. This study describes the molecular, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a cluster of carbapenemase-producing hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in the South-East of Ireland.