The Identification and Characterization of the Resistance Genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae Plasmids Transformed in E. coli BL21(DE3)

The emergence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae constitutes a serious threat to global public health due to the limited treatment options available. This study aimed to identify some characteristics carried on the plasmids of K. pneumoniae isolated from pathological cases. The plasmid was extracted from K. pneumoniae and transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) by the heat shock method using 0.1 M CaCl2. The results showed that transformed E. coli BL21(DE3) became resistant to four types of antibiotics which included cefepime (FEP) 10 μg, ceftazidime (CAZ) 30 μg, tetracycline (TE) 10 μg and rifampin (RA) 5 μg. In addition, transforming colonies of E. coli BL21(DE3) were able to producer biofilm as well as production of urease enzyme. The extracted plasmids were digested by 3 types of restriction enzymes (enzyme EcoRI, BamHI and Hind III) to know the restriction sites available in bacterial plasmids. The results showed the presence of some EcoR1 restriction sites by observing the change in the physical shape of the plasmid after being treated with the EcoR1. Meanwhile, no restriction sites were observed for BamH1 and HindIII.