Emerging Antimicrobial Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Molecular and Antibiogram Insight From the Beef Value Chain in Bangladesh.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen linked to rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally. To assess the antimicrobial resistance pattern and biofilm-forming ability of K. pneumoniae, a total of 240 samples were collected from slaughterhouses, open butcher shops, wet market selling points, and high-grade, medium-grade, and poor-grade restaurants in Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and Gazipur City Corporation (GCC). Among the samples, 132 (55%) samples were positive for K. pneumoniae, with the highest prevalence (60%) in raw beef from GCC. The antibiogram profile depicted diverse resistance patterns with the highest resistance pattern to ampicillin (100%), amoxicillin (100%), and cefoxitin (87.12%). All isolates exhibited a multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) value greater than 0.2, indicating contamination from high-risk sources. The antimicrobial resistance encoding genes were blaBIC and blaIMP, were 54% and 36%, respectively. Phenotypic characterization, utilizing Congo red agar and microtiter plate tests, identified 25 out of 132 (19%) isolates as biofilm producers, with 7 (28%) classified as strong producers, and 3 (12%) and 15 (60%) as intermediate and weak producers, respectively. This study addresses the alarming emergence of antimicrobial resistance within the beef value chain in Bangladesh, posing an alarming threat to food safety and public health associated with biofilm-producing foodborne pathogens, underscoring the necessity for improved hygiene practices to mitigate the public health risk posed by these pathogens.