Prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in Iranian hospitalized patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis study.

Background: Every year, the number of deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant infections continues to rise. It is predicted that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant bacteria will surpass cancer as the leading cause of death.

Aim: The aim of this research is to assess the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in hospitalized patients across Iran.

Methods: To address this issue, we conducted a thorough search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, on March 13, 2023. Using the random-effects meta-analysis model and assessing heterogeneity with Cochran's Q test and I² statistic, we estimated the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Our analyzes were done by STATA v 14. 21 articles met the inclusion criteria.

Result: In total, 20 studies were included in the final analysis. The number of studies obtained for ceftazidime, cefotaxime, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem were 17, 13, 13, 14, and 14, respectively. The sample sizes for each were 2,200, 1,557, 1,896, 2,026, and 1779. The pooled estimated prevalence of resistance to Ceftazidime, Cefotaxime, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin and Imipenem in Klebsiella pneumoniae were 60%, 63%, 46%, 48% and 26%.

Conclusion: These findings highlight that Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in Iran have shown high resistance to commonly used antibiotics, particularly third-generation Cephalosporins which can significantly impact the treatment of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is advisable to explore alternative antibiotics for treating infections caused by this microorganism.