Carbapenem Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Respiratory tract infection

Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most common Gram-negative, non-motile, encapsulated, lactose-fermenting, facultative anaerobic, rod shaped pathogenic bacterium. The patient population is believed to have impaired respiratory host defences, including persons with diabetes, alcoholism, malignancy, liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, glucocorticoid therapy, kidney failure, and certain occupational exposures (such as papermill workers). Many of these infections are obtained when a person is in the hospital for some or the other reason (a nosocomial infection).They are associated with clinical infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, wound infection, and meningitis .The most common condition caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae outside the hospital is pneumonia, typically in the form of bronchopneumonia and also bronchitis. These patients have an increased tendency to develop lung abscess, cavitation, empyema, and pleural adhesions. CRKP was first reported in 1996 and now it is worldwide. CRKP has a death rate around 50%, even with antimicrobial therapy. Carbapenems and other β-lactam antibiotics are the commonly used agents to treat K. pneumoniae infections, and are also last resort drugs for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. With the widespread use of carbapenems, the emergence of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has been increasingly reported world wide. It is a prevalent clinical concern all over the world that Infection by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) hampers the treatment of the patients with Respiratory tract infection (RTI). Due to increased virulence and decreased susceptibility to antimicrobials, it is very challenging to treat such patients and it may lead to certain undesired outcomes such as death of patients. Early detection and effective measures are needed to restrict the spread of carbapenamase-producing organisms and optimize antibiotic administration. Since increase number of CRKP infections are being witnessed by medical fraternity, this study will help to bring out the existing occurrence of these pathogens and their existing management strategies in our tertiary care hospital.