| Summary: | <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> has been among the main pathogens contributing to the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the last decade, and <i>K. pneumoniae</i> AMR strains predominantly cluster in the ST258 clonal complex. However, ST307 is emerging as an important high-risk clone. In Central America, there have been few studies on the molecular epidemiology of the <i>K. pneumoniae</i> strains involved in infections. Materials and Methods: We conducted an epidemiological study in three reference hospitals in the central region of Panama, using isolates of <i>K. pneumoniae</i> involved in infections, and identifying their AMR profile, associated clinical risk factors, and molecular typing using a multilocus sequence typing (ST) scheme. Results: Six STs were detected: 307 (55%), 152, 18, 29, 405, and 207. CTX-M-15- and TEM-type beta-lactamases were identified in 100% of ESBL-producing strains; substitutions in <i>gyrA</i> Ser83Ile and parC Ser80Ile were identified in all ST307s; and in ST152 gyrA Ser83Phe, Asp87Ala, and parC Ser80Ile, the <i>qnrB</i> gene was detected in all strains resistant to ciprofloxacin. Conclusions: We present the first report on ST307 in three reference hospitals in the central region of Panama, which is a high-risk emerging clone and represents a public health alert for potential difficulties in managing <i>K. pneumoniae</i> infections in Panama, and which may extend to other Central American countries.
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