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The Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) has for the first time identified two strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae harbouring the gene encoding for the KPC carbapenemase.
Similar carbapenem-resistant bacteria, for example, those harbouring IMP gene, have been found in Hong Kong before.
A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said the gene confers resistance to the carbapenem group of antibiotics, which are broad-spectrum and usually used as second-line agents.
The finding involved two patients attending public hospitals, whose isolates were referred to PHLSB.
The patient from Queen Mary Hospital was a 66-year-old man with a history of previous hospital admission in China in October 2010. His rectal swab specimen tested positive for the KPC-harbouring K. pneumoniae strain. He was not infected but only colonised with the strain. The patient is now staying at the Tung Wah Hospital in stable condition. Isolation precautions have been implemented.
The other patient was a 24-year-old man admitted to United Christian Hospital (UCH). His mid-stream urine specimen, which harboured the organism, was obtained as part of work-up for abdominal pain. Laboratory results indicated that the patient did not have urinary tract infection, and that the organism was a coloniser. The patient had no travel history. His symptoms subsided with conservative management, without antibiotics. He has recovered and was discharged from the hospital. The organism in this patient is sensitive to the antibiotic gentamicin.
The spokesman also said that KPC-harbouring organisms have been reported in various parts of the world, especially in the USA and the Americas, and also in various countries in Europe and mainland China. Sporadic detections of KPC-harboring organisms and similar germs in Hong Kong are expected from time to time due to effects of globalisation. The CHP has put in place a surveillance system for antibiotic resistant bacteria. The two incidents appear to be isolated events with no relationship to each other.
It is widely recognised that indiscriminate use of antibiotics may contribute to antibiotics resistance, the spokesman said.
The public are advised not to use antibiotics without professional medical advice. If they are advised by doctors to take antibiotics, they should take the medicine according to the prescribed frequency and dosage.
People should maintain good personal hygiene including washing hands with liquid soap frequently. They should also avoid sharing personal items such as unlaundered towels, clothing or uniforms and razors. Wounds should be covered properly.
For public information, future isolations of bacteria bearing the gene for KPC carbapenemase by PHLC will be incorporated into the monthly report on antibiotic resistant organisms published at CHP's website: www.chp.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, November 15, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:52
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