Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Patient with SARS-Cov-2 Pneumonia in an Intensive Care Unit in Guayaquil, Ecuador: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Multi-resistant microorganisms are a public health problem. Their incidence has risen due to COVID-19, indiscriminate antibiotics use, corticosteroid treatments, and higher admissions to intensive care units (ICUs) of patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. These are risk factors for bacterial over-infection. The present case study that is relevant because of the multiple isolated strains with a resistance pattern: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC), extended-spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) and New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase (NDM) in a patient without comorbidities. CASE REPORT A 53-year-old Ecuadorian man with no past medical history arrived at the Emergency Department (ED) with dyspnea, nasopharyngeal swab with a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV2, and a chest computed tomography (CT) scan showing bilateral ground-glass pulmonary infiltrates with 40% involvement. On day 10 in the ICU, the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae KPC strain was reported in an axillary swab culture. Consequently, the antibiotic was rotated to vancomycin 1 g intravenously (i.v.) every 12 h and meropenem 1 g i.v. every 8 h. On day 15 in the ICU, a tracheal secretion culture was reported with the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBL and a blood culture with Klebsiella pneumoniae NDM. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect scenario for superinfection with multi-resistant pathogens such as carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), due to the increase in patients admitted to ICUs requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, the use of corticosteroids, and empirical broad-spectrum antibiotic management based on guidelines. The emergence of combined multidrug-resistant strains is a challenge for laboratory detection and the selection of antimicrobial treatment.