Genetic Diversity and Clonal Dissemination of ESBL-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from Clinical, Food, and Animal Sources in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major opportunistic pathogen responsible for multidrug-resistant infections in both hospital and community settings. The emergence and spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains have become a major public health concern due to limited treatment options and their potential spread among human, animal, and food reservoirs. This study aimed to assess the genetic relatedness of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates collected from human clinical samples, ready-to-eat foods, and animal sources using ERIC-PCR profiling. A total of 98 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates were included, comprising 96 clinical isolates from hospitalized (n = 91) and non-hospitalized (n = 5) patients at Bouaké University Hospital, one isolate from ready-to-eat food, and one isolate from raw cow’s milk. Identification was performed using conventional bacteriological methods, and ESBL production was confirmed using CHROMagar ESBL medium and the double-disk synergy test. ERIC-PCR analysis revealed a high level of genetic diversity, with 25 distinct ERIC profiles identified, including nine common types and 16 unique types. Several dominant clonal lineages were observed among the clinical isolates, distributed across different hospital departments and outpatient settings. One foodborne isolate shared an ERIC profile identical to that of three clinical isolates, while the animal-derived isolate exhibited a unique genotype. Overall, most isolates showed genetic heterogeneity, although clonal dissemination was observed among hospital strains. These results indicate a predominance of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae in the hospital setting and suggest limited genetic relatedness between human and non-human isolates. However, the interpretation of relationships involving food and animal isolates remains limited by their low representation in the study. These results underscore the importance of strengthening infection prevention and control measures and confirm the need for ongoing molecular surveillance of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae .