Study the Gene Expression of bla-IMP and bla-VIM Genes In Meropenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Urinary Tract Infections

Background: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae, which causes infection associated with multidrug-resistant strains, is a primary clinical and public health concern. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the expression level of bla-IMP and bla-VIM genes in the presence and absence of meropenem antibiotics. Methods: Eighty K. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from 250 urine samples collected from patients in Baghdad Hospitals, Iraq, from November 2020 to March 2021. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were measured for the isolates by microdilution method. Real-time PCR detected the presence of bla-IMP and bla-VIM resistance genes. The blah-IMP and bla-VIM gene expression levels were measured by real-time PCR in the presence and absence of meropenem antibiotics. Results: The results of this study showed that the higher expression level of blaIMP and bla-VIM increased in resistant strains in the presence of meropenem, where the range of fold for gene expression of bla-VIM was 1.3 to 8.3, while for bla-IMP gene was 1.5 to 8.4. Conclusion: In conclusion, the overuse of meropenem and imipenem antibiotics in the treatment of K. pneumoniae may lead to an increase in the resistance of this species to carbapenems and cephalosporins, and There was a correlation between the meropenem resistance in K. pneumoniae isolates and the gene expression of the tow genes bla-IMP and bla-VIM Keywords: Carbapenem Resistance, Klebsiella pneumoniae, bla-IMP, bla-VIM, Gene expression, UTI.