Dissemination and spread of CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae in central China.

Of 50 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBL) isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from six hospitals in Hubei Province, 20 were found to produce CTX-M ESBLs (40%). Sequence analysis of the six isolates carrying bla(CTX-M) genes revealed that they all harboured bla(CTX-M-3). In the majority of isolates, bla(CTX-M) genes were within large conjugative plasmids.