Antibiotic and toxicant susceptibility profiles of clinical and environmental Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates

Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from different clinical and environmental sources were examined for resistance to antibiotics, pentachlorophenol, and heavy metals using intracellular ATP measurements. Resistance to kanamycin, neomycin, gentamicin, and tobramycin was noted for the hospital strain but not for the environmentally derived isolates. On the other hand, strains isolated from pulp and paper mill effluents and receiving waters exhibited a higher degree of pentachlorophenol and heavy metal resistance. Chromosomal restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) digests of three environmental strains produced patterns that were different and readily distinguishable. Plasmids were detectable in these same environmental isolates; two of the three carried a 70 × 106 Da plasmid that is thought to mediate both antibiotic and heavy metal resistance.