Clinical Distribution Characteristics and Antimicrobial Resistance Trends of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Chinese Tertiary Hospital (2021–2025)

Kang Liu,1 Zhi Zheng,2 Lili Liu,3 Wanjun Wang,1 Xiaoyue Li11Clinical Laboratory Department, Anqing First People’s Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anqing, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 2Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study & School of Pharmaceutical Science, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Hospital-Acquired Infections, Anqing First People’s Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anqing, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaoyue Li, Email [email protected]: To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Anqing First People’s Hospital of Anhui Medical University from 2021 to 2025 and to provide rational regimens for clinical anti-infection.Methods: The non-repetitive bacterial strains were detected and collected in this hospital, Pathogen identification was performed using a mass spectrometer. Susceptibility testing was performed using an automated system or disk diffusion. The 2025 CLSI clinical standards were applied to determine susceptibility. Experimental susceptibility data were statistically analyzed using WHONET 5.6 software and SPSS26.0. Chi-square tests and trend tests were used for the statistical analyses.Results: 8992 pathogenic strains were isolated during 2021– 2025, including 1135 KPN, and the total detection rate was 12.6%. The annual detection rates from 2021 to 2025 were 12.8% (225/1,756), 11.7% (203/1,733), 14.5% (261/1,804), 12.6% (234/1,863), and 11.5% (212/1,836), respectively. The overall detection rate of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) was 13.8% (157/1135). Over the five-year period, the predominant specimen sources of the isolates were sputum (35.5%), midstream urine (27.8%), and secretions (17.3%). The top three departments by isolation rate were ICU, Neurosurgery, and Urology. The drug sensitivity results showed that the resistance of K. pneumoniae to most common antibiotics were different during 2021 to 2025 (P < 0.05), and it had certain resistance to common antibiotics. The resistance rate of K. pneumoniae to imipenem detected in the ICU was significantly higher than that in the neurosurgery and urology departments.Conclusion: During the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, the isolated K. pneumoniae showed varying levels of resistance to common antibacterial drugs in our hospital. The resistance rates varied among different departments. The situation of drug resistance remains severe. Therefore, The hospital must strengthen daily infection control measures and drug resistance monitoring to reduce the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae, distribution characteristics, antibiotics, resistance analysis