Ceftazidime-avibactam and cefiderocol resistance in KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST323 isolates

ST323 carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae strains co-resistant to ceftazidime-avibactam, due to VEB-25 beta-lactamase production, and cefiderocol, due to disrupted catecholate siderophore receptor Fiu, were isolated from colonized and/or infected patients in a single hospital in Athens. The dissemination of VEB-25 among multidrug resistant organisms is an unwelcome event. The blaVEB-25 was associated with IncC plasmids which are important contributors to the spread of key antibiotic resistance genes.