Genomic evidence of convergence of multidrug resistance and enhanced virulence in carbapenem- and colistin-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> from Turkey
isolates, revealing the frequent convergence of antimicrobial resistance and genetic signatures indicative of enhanced virulence in these strains. Notably, most isolates belonged to ST2096, clustering with genomes from Turkey and other countries, highlighting the international spread of these high-risk clones. The emergence of these difficult-to-treat pathogens emphasizes the urgent need for targeted action, including sustained genomic surveillance, stronger infection prevention, and improved antimicrobial stewardship. Policymakers, clinicians, and public health stakeholders must collaborate to enhance diagnostic capacity, surveillance systems, and infection control, particularly in countries where existing gaps exacerbate the spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens with high-virulence genotypes.
Authors
- Steven J. Schiff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2623-3614)
- Jouman W. Hassan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9383-3539)
- Anahita Ghorbani Tajani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4196-0425)
- Issmat I. Kassem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2978-9573)
- Bledar Bisha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3145-8025)
- Jessica E. Ericson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8765-2065)
- Rayane Rafei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9633-1290)
- Mehmet Özdemir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2901-5145)
- Marwan Osman
- M Doğan
- Amine Baroudi
- Hasna Abbass
- Fouad Dabboussi
- Monzer Hamze
Institutions
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Lebanese University (LB)
- Yale University (US)
- Necmettin Erbakan University (TR)
- Nini Hospital (LB)
- American University of Beirut (LB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Microbiology Spectrum
- Published
- 2026-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03393-25
- Primary Topic
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00