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Khaleel DS, Mutter TY, Huang X. Potential mechanism of gallic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles against associated genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae capsule, antibacterial and antibiofilm. Microsc Res Tech 2024. [PMID: 38984399 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has increased in recent years, especially for pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae. Discovering and developing new drugs is challenging due to the high resistance of pathogens. Metal nanoparticles have been widely used in recent years to overcome and treat infections. Gallic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs-GA) were synthesized in a simple and cost-effective method. The morphology characteristics of synthesized IONPs-GA were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. IONPs were mostly spherical in shape with sizes ranging between 32 and 61 nm. All analyses used in this study confirmed the successful coating of gallic acid to iron oxide. Biological activities were studied phenotypically and on the molecular level, including antibacterial, antibiofilm, and mRNA levels of capsule-associated genes. The results showed high antimicrobial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles against different G+ve and G-ve bacteria. The highest activity was recorded against Staphylococcus aureus (43 mm) and K. pneumoniae (22 mm). The MIC of IONPs against K. pneumoniae was 3.12 mg/mL and SEM analysis showed adhering the IONPs-GA to the cell surface of K. pneumoniae resulted in disrupting the cell membrane. Different concentrations of sub-MIC inhibited K. pneumoniae biofilm formation with the highest inhibition percentage at ½ × MIC (66.86%). Also, the synthesized IONPs-GA differently affected the regulation and mRNA level of capsule-associated genes in K. pneumoniae. The results indicated that IONPs-GA could be useful in biological applications such as in drug delivery and treatment wide range of pathogens. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Gallic acid was successfully coated into iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized in a simple way. IONPs-GA was morphologically characterized using FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Evaluation the activity of IONPs-GA as antibacterial, antibiofilm, and study the potential level of mRNA affected by IONPs-GA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhuha S Khaleel
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq
| | - Thamer Y Mutter
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq
| | - Xing Huang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
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2
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Wang S, Ma S, Sun S, Wang Q, Ding Q, Jin L, Chen F, Yin G, Wu X, Wang R, Wang H. Global evolutionary dynamics of virulence genes in ST11-KL47 carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2024; 64:107245. [PMID: 38906484 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2024.107245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
ST11-KL47 is a hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) that is highly prevalent in China and poses a major public health risk. To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of virulence genes in this subclone, we analysed 78 sequenced isolates obtained from a long-term study across 29 centres from 17 cities in China. Virulence genes were located in large hybrid pNDM-Mar-like plasmids (length: ∼266 kilobases) rather than in classical pK2044-like plasmids. These hybrid plasmids, derived from the fusion of pK2044 and pNDM-Mar plasmids mediated by insertion sequence (IS) elements (such as ISKpn28 and IS26), integrated virulence gene fragments into the chromosome. Analysis of 217 sequences containing the special IncFIB (pNDM-Mar) replicon using public databases indicated that these plasmids typically contained T4SS-related and multiple antimicrobial resistance genes, were present in 24 countries, and were found in humans, animals, and the environment. Notably, the chromosomal integration of virulence genes was observed in strains across five countries across two continents. In vivo and in vitro models showed that the large hybrid plasmid increased the host fitness cost while increasing virulence. Conversely, virulence genes transferred to chromosomes resulted in increased fitness and lower virulence. In conclusion, virulence genes in the plasmids of ST11-KL47 CRKP are evolving, driven by adaptive negative selection, to enable vertical chromosomal inheritance along with conferring a survival advantage and low pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyi Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China; Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China; Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Shijun Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Longyang Jin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fengning Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guankun Yin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xingyu Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ruobing Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China; Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
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3
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Teng G, Zhang M, Fu Y, Yang X, Kang Y, Qin Q, Jin Y, Huang M, Xu Y. Adaptive attenuation of virulence in hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. mSystems 2024; 9:e0136323. [PMID: 38752758 PMCID: PMC11237801 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01363-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The emergence of nosocomial infections caused by hypervirulent and carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (hv-CRKP) has become a significant public health challenge. The genetic traits of virulence and resistance plasmids in hv-CRKP have been extensively studied; however, research on the adaptive evolution strategies of clinical strains inside the host was scarce. This study aimed to understand the effects of antibiotic treatment on the phenotype and genotype characteristics of hv-CRKP. We investigated the evolution of hv-CRKP strains isolated from the same patient to elucidate the transition between hospital invasion and colonization. A comparative genomics analysis was performed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms in the rmpA promoter. Subsequent validation through RNA-seq and gene deletion confirmed that distinct rmpA promoter sequences exert control over the mucoid phenotype. Additionally, biofilm experiments, cell adhesion assays, and animal infection models were conducted to illuminate the influence of rmpA promoter diversity on virulence changes. We demonstrated that the P12T and P11T promoters of rmpA possess strong activity, which leads to the evolution of CRKP into infectious and virulent strains. Meanwhile, the specific sequence of polyT motifs in the rmpA promoter led to a decrease in the lethality of hv-CRKP and enhanced cell adhesion and colonization. To summarize, the rmpA promoter of hv-CRKP is utilized to control capsule production, thereby modifying pathogenicity to better suit the host's ecological environment.IMPORTANCEThe prevalence of hospital-acquired illness caused by hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (hv-CRKP) is significant, leading to prolonged antibiotic treatment. However, there are few reports on the phenotypic changes of hv-CRKP in patients undergoing antibiotic treatment. We performed a comprehensive examination of the genetic evolutionary traits of hv-CRKP obtained from the same patient and observed variations in the promoter sequences of the virulence factor rmpA. The strong activity of the promoter sequences P11T and P12T enhances the consistent production of capsule polysaccharides, resulting in an invasive strain. Conversely, weak promoter activity of P9T and P10T is advantageous for exposing pili, hence improving bacterial cell attachment ability and facilitating bacterial colonization. This finding also explains the confusion of some clinical strains carrying wild-type rmpA but exhibiting a low mucoid phenotype. This adaptive alteration facilitates the dissemination of K. pneumoniae within the hospital setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoqin Teng
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Multiple Organ Failure, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China
- Department of General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - YingYing Fu
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Yang
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanhua Kang
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qiuying Qin
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ye Jin
- Key Laboratory of Multiple Organ Failure, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China
- Department of General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Man Huang
- Key Laboratory of Multiple Organ Failure, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China
- Department of General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yongchang Xu
- Department of Immunology and Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
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Goh KJ, Altuvia Y, Argaman L, Raz Y, Bar A, Lithgow T, Margalit H, Gan YH. RIL-seq reveals extensive involvement of small RNAs in virulence and capsule regulation in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae440. [PMID: 38804271 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) can infect healthy individuals, in contrast to classical strains that commonly cause nosocomial infections. The recent convergence of hypervirulence with carbapenem-resistance in K. pneumoniae can potentially create 'superbugs' that are challenging to treat. Understanding virulence regulation of hvKp is thus critical. Accumulating evidence suggest that posttranscriptional regulation by small RNAs (sRNAs) plays a role in bacterial virulence, but it has hardly been studied in K. pneumoniae. We applied RIL-seq to a prototypical clinical isolate of hvKp to unravel the Hfq-dependent RNA-RNA interaction (RRI) network. The RRI network is dominated by sRNAs, including predicted novel sRNAs, three of which we validated experimentally. We constructed a stringent subnetwork composed of RRIs that involve at least one hvKp virulence-associated gene and identified the capsule gene loci as a hub target where multiple sRNAs interact. We found that the sRNA OmrB suppressed both capsule production and hypermucoviscosity when overexpressed. Furthermore, OmrB base-pairs within kvrA coding region and partially suppresses translation of the capsule regulator KvrA. This agrees with current understanding of capsule as a major virulence and fitness factor. It emphasizes the intricate regulatory control of bacterial phenotypes by sRNAs, particularly of genes critical to bacterial physiology and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwok Jian Goh
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yael Altuvia
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Liron Argaman
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Yair Raz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Amir Bar
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Trevor Lithgow
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hanah Margalit
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Yunn-Hwen Gan
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
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5
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Denissen J, Havenga B, Reyneke B, Khan S, Khan W. Comparing antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from environmental and clinical settings. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30215. [PMID: 38720709 PMCID: PMC11076977 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from water sources collected in informal settlements, were compared to clinical counterparts. Cluster analysis using repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (REP-PCR) indicated that, for each respective species, low genetic relatedness was observed between most of the clinical and environmental isolates, with only one clinical P. aeruginosa (PAO1) and one clinical K. pneumoniae (P2) exhibiting high genetic similarity to the environmental strains. Based on the antibiograms, the clinical E. faecium Ef CD1 was extensively drug resistant (XDR); all K. pneumoniae isolates (n = 12) (except K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883) were multidrug resistant (MDR), while the P. aeruginosa (n = 16) isolates exhibited higher susceptibility profiles. The tetM gene (tetracycline resistance) was identified in 47.4 % (n = 6 environmental; n = 3 clinical) of the E. faecium isolates, while the blaKPC gene (carbapenem resistance) was detected in 52.6 % (n = 7 environmental; n = 3 clinical) and 15.4 % (n = 2 environmental) of the E. faecium and K. pneumoniae isolates, respectively. The E. faecium isolates were predominantly poor biofilm formers, the K. pneumoniae isolates were moderate biofilm formers, while the P. aeruginosa isolates were strong biofilm formers. All E. faecium and K. pneumoniae isolates were gamma (γ)-haemolytic, non-gelatinase producing (E. faecium only), and non-hypermucoviscous (K. pneumoniae only), while the P. aeruginosa isolates exhibited beta (β)-haemolysis and produced gelatinase. The fimH (type 1 fimbriae adhesion) and ugE (uridine diphosphate galacturonate 4-epimerase synthesis) virulence genes were detected in the K. pneumoniae isolates, while the P. aeruginosa isolates possessed the phzM (phenazine production) and algD (alginate biosynthesis) genes. Similarities in antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of environmental and clinical E. faecium, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa, thus highlights the potential health risks posed by using environmental water sources for daily water needs in low-and-middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Denissen
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
| | - Benjamin Havenga
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
| | - Brandon Reyneke
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
| | - Sehaam Khan
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
| | - Wesaal Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
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6
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Liao Y, Gong J, Yuan X, Wang X, Huang Y, Chen X. Virulence Factors and Carbapenem-Resistance Mechanisms in Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumoniae. Infect Drug Resist 2024; 17:1551-1559. [PMID: 38660055 PMCID: PMC11042477 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s461903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) has emerged as a novel variant of K. pneumoniae, exhibiting distinct phenotypic and genotypic characteristics that confer increased virulence and pathogenicity. It is not only responsible for nosocomial infections but also community-acquired infections, including liver abscesses, endophthalmitis, and meningitis, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. HvKP has been reported all over the world, but it is mainly prevalent in Asia Pacific, especially China. Moreover, hvKP can acquire carbapenemase genes resulting in the emergence of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR-hvKP), which possesses both high virulence and drug resistance capabilities. Consequently, CR-hvKP poses substantial challenges to infection control and presents serious threats to global public health. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary of the epidemiological characteristics, virulence factors, and mechanisms underlying carbapenem resistance in hvKP strains with the aim of offering valuable insights for practical prevention strategies as well as future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Liao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junjie Gong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoliang Yuan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoling Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuanhong Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ganzhou Municipal Hospital, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaohong Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China
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7
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Bray AS, Zafar MA. Deciphering the gastrointestinal carriage of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infect Immun 2024:e0048223. [PMID: 38597634 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00482-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial infections pose a significant global health threat, accounting for an estimated 7.7 million deaths. Hospital outbreaks driven by multi-drug-resistant pathogens, notably Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), are of grave concern. This opportunistic pathogen causes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and bacteremia, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The rise of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae adds complexity, as it increasingly infects healthy individuals. Recent epidemiological data suggest that asymptomatic gastrointestinal carriage serves as a reservoir for infections in the same individual and allows for host-to-host transmission via the fecal-oral route. This review focuses on K. pneumoniae's gastrointestinal colonization, delving into epidemiological evidence, current animal models, molecular colonization mechanisms, and the protective role of the resident gut microbiota. Moreover, the review sheds light on in vivo high-throughput approaches that have been crucial for identifying K. pneumoniae factors in gut colonization. This comprehensive exploration aims to enhance our understanding of K. pneumoniae gut pathogenesis, guiding future intervention and prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Bray
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - M Ammar Zafar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
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8
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Rojas D, Marcoleta AE, Gálvez-Silva M, Varas MA, Díaz M, Hernández M, Vargas C, Nourdin-Galindo G, Koch E, Saldivia P, Vielma J, Gan YH, Chen Y, Guiliani N, Chávez FP. Inorganic Polyphosphate Affects Biofilm Assembly, Capsule Formation, and Virulence of Hypervirulent ST23 Klebsiella pneumoniae. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:606-623. [PMID: 38205780 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) strains poses a significant threat to public health due to high mortality rates and propensity to cause severe community-acquired infections in healthy individuals. The ability to form biofilms and produce a protective capsule contributes to its enhanced virulence and is a significant challenge to effective antibiotic treatment. Polyphosphate kinase 1 (PPK1) is an enzyme responsible for inorganic polyphosphate synthesis and plays a vital role in regulating various physiological processes in bacteria. In this study, we investigated the impact of polyP metabolism on the biofilm and capsule formation and virulence traits in hvKP using Dictyostelium discoideum amoeba as a model host. We found that the PPK1 null mutant was impaired in biofilm and capsule formation and showed attenuated virulence in D. discoideum compared to the wild-type strain. We performed a proteomic analysis to gain further insights into the underlying molecular mechanism. The results revealed that the PPK1 mutant had a differential expression of proteins involved in capsule synthesis (Wzi-Ugd), biofilm formation (MrkC-D-H), synthesis of the colibactin genotoxin precursor (ClbB), as well as proteins associated with the synthesis and modification of lipid A (ArnB-LpxC-PagP). These proteomic findings corroborate the phenotypic observations and indicate that the PPK1 mutation is associated with impaired biofilm and capsule formation and attenuated virulence in hvKP. Overall, our study highlights the importance of polyP synthesis in regulating extracellular biomolecules and virulence in K. pneumoniae and provides insights into potential therapeutic targets for treating K. pneumoniae infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Rojas
- Laboratorio de Microbiología de Sistemas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Andrés E Marcoleta
- Grupo de Microbiología Integrativa, Laboratorio de Biología Estructural y Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Matías Gálvez-Silva
- Laboratorio de Microbiología de Sistemas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
- Grupo de Microbiología Integrativa, Laboratorio de Biología Estructural y Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Macarena A Varas
- Laboratorio de Microbiología de Sistemas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
- Grupo de Microbiología Integrativa, Laboratorio de Biología Estructural y Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Mauricio Díaz
- Laboratorio de Comunicación Microbiana, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Mauricio Hernández
- División Biotecnología, Instituto Melisa, San Pedro de la Paz CP 9660000, Chile
| | - Cristian Vargas
- División Biotecnología, Instituto Melisa, San Pedro de la Paz CP 9660000, Chile
| | | | - Elard Koch
- División Biotecnología, Instituto Melisa, San Pedro de la Paz CP 9660000, Chile
| | - Pablo Saldivia
- División Biotecnología, Instituto Melisa, San Pedro de la Paz CP 9660000, Chile
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción CP 4070389, Chile
| | - Jorge Vielma
- Laboratorio de Microbiología de Sistemas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
- Grupo de Microbiología Integrativa, Laboratorio de Biología Estructural y Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Yunn-Hwen Gan
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore CP 119077, Singapore
| | - Yahua Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore CP 119077, Singapore
| | - Nicolás Guiliani
- Laboratorio de Comunicación Microbiana, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
| | - Francisco P Chávez
- Laboratorio de Microbiología de Sistemas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago CP 7800003, Chile
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9
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Kochan TJ, Nozick SH, Valdes A, Mitra SD, Cheung BH, Lebrun-Corbin M, Medernach RL, Vessely MB, Mills JO, Axline CMR, Nelson JA, VanGosen EM, Ward TJ, Ozer EA, van Duin D, Chen L, Kreiswirth BN, Long SW, Musser JM, Bulman ZP, Wunderink RG, Hauser AR. Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates with features of both multidrug-resistance and hypervirulence have unexpectedly low virulence. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7962. [PMID: 38042959 PMCID: PMC10693551 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43802-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae has been classified into two types, classical K. pneumoniae (cKP) and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP). cKP isolates are highly diverse and important causes of nosocomial infections; they include globally disseminated antibiotic-resistant clones. hvKP isolates are sensitive to most antibiotics but are highly virulent, causing community-acquired infections in healthy individuals. The virulence phenotype of hvKP is associated with pathogenicity loci responsible for siderophore and hypermucoid capsule production. Recently, convergent strains of K. pneumoniae, which possess features of both cKP and hvKP, have emerged and are cause of much concern. Here, we screen the genomes of 2,608 multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from the United States and identify 47 convergent isolates. We perform phenotypic and genomic characterization of 12 representative isolates. These 12 convergent isolates contain a variety of antimicrobial resistance plasmids and virulence plasmids. Most convergent isolates contain aerobactin biosynthesis genes and produce more siderophores than cKP isolates but not more capsule. Unexpectedly, only 1 of the 12 tested convergent isolates has a level of virulence consistent with hvKP isolates in a murine pneumonia model. These findings suggest that additional studies should be performed to clarify whether convergent strains are indeed more virulent than cKP in mouse and human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis J Kochan
- Laboratory of Respiratory and Special Pathogens, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic, and Allergenic Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Sophia H Nozick
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Aliki Valdes
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sumitra D Mitra
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bettina H Cheung
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Marine Lebrun-Corbin
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rachel L Medernach
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Madeleine B Vessely
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jori O Mills
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christopher M R Axline
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Julia A Nelson
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ethan M VanGosen
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Timothy J Ward
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Egon A Ozer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David van Duin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Liang Chen
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ, USA
| | - Barry N Kreiswirth
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ, USA
| | - S Wesley Long
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James M Musser
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zackery P Bulman
- College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Richard G Wunderink
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alan R Hauser
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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10
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Zhang J, Xu Y, Wang M, Li X, Liu Z, Kuang D, Deng Z, Ou HY, Qu J. Mobilizable plasmids drive the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Genome Med 2023; 15:106. [PMID: 38041146 PMCID: PMC10691111 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01260-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Klebsiella pneumoniae is a notorious clinical pathogen and frequently carries various plasmids, which are the main carriers of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. In comparison to self-transmissible conjugative plasmids, mobilizable plasmids have received much less attention due to their defects in conjugative elements. However, the contribution of mobilizable plasmids to the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes of K. pneumoniae remains unclear. In this study, the transfer, stability, and cargo genes of the mobilizable plasmids of K. pneumoniae were examined via genetic experiments and genomic analysis. METHODS Carbapenem-resistant (CR) plasmid pHSKP2 and multidrug-resistant (MDR) plasmid pHSKP3 of K. pneumoniae HS11286, virulence plasmid pRJF293 of K. pneumoniae RJF293 were employed in conjugation assays to assess the transfer ability of mobilizable plasmids. Mimic mobilizable plasmids and genetically modified plasmids were constructed to confirm the cotransfer models. The plasmid morphology was evaluated through XbaI and S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and/or complete genome sequencing. Mobilizable plasmid stability in transconjugants was analyzed via serial passage culture. In addition, in silico genome analysis of 3923 plasmids of 1194 completely sequenced K. pneumoniae was performed to investigate the distribution of the conjugative elements, the cargo genes, and the targets of the CRISPR-Cas system. The mobilizable MDR plasmid and virulence plasmid of K. pneumoniae were investigated, which carry oriT but lack other conjugative elements. RESULTS Our results showed that mobilizable MDR and virulence plasmids carrying oriT but lacking the relaxase gene were able to cotransfer with a helper conjugative CR plasmid across various Klebsiella and Escherichia coli strains. The transfer and stability of mobilizable plasmids rather than conjugative plasmids were not interfered with by the CRISPR-Cas system of recipient strains. According to the in silico analysis, the mobilizable plasmids carry about twenty percent of acquired antimicrobial resistance genes and more than seventy-five percent of virulence genes in K. pneumoniae. CONCLUSIONS Our work observed that a mobilizable MDR or virulence plasmid that carries oriT but lacks the relaxase genes transferred with the helper CR conjugative plasmid and mobilizable plasmids escaped from CRISPR-Cas defence and remained stable in recipients. These results highlight the threats of mobilizable plasmids as vital vehicles in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfeng Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
- Institute of Antibiotics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yanping Xu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Meng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Xiaobin Li
- Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Zhiyuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Dai Kuang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, School of Tropical Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.
| | - Jieming Qu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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11
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Wang T, Wang X, Chen S, Zhu J, Zhu Z, Qu F, Chen L, Du H. Emergence of colistin-heteroresistant and carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2023; 35:237-243. [PMID: 37858865 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2023.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the clinical emergence of colistin-heteroresistant, hypervirulent, and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, and characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS The population analysis profiles (PAPs) method was used to detect colistin heteroresistance. The time-killing assay was used to examine the effect of colistin on carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in vitro. Galleria mellonella larvae infection model was used to test the potential virulence. qRT-PCR assay was conducted to compare the expression levels of efflux pump genes. Next and third-generation sequencing were conducted to analyse the genomic features. RESULTS Two colistin-heteroresistant isolates were detected from a multi-center carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) surveillance study in China, which exhibited similar survival rates as the K2 hypervirulent reference strain ATCC 43816 in a G. mellonella larvae model. The two isolates belonged to ST11, harbouring the iucABCD, iutA, iroBCD, and rpmA2 hypervirulent genes and pLVPK-like virulence plasmids. Colistin showed a weak effect on the heteroresistant strains in vitro. The efflux pump genes acrA, acrB, tolC, oqxA, and oqxB were upregulated in this subpopulation compared to the parental strains. CONCLUSIONS This study showed the clinical emergence of colistin-heteroresistant, hypervirulent, and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. AcrAB-TolC and OqxAB efflux overexpression were involved in mediating colistin heteroresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China; Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Suzhou Wuzhong People's Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Suming Chen
- The Clinical Laboratory, Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Zhichen Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Fen Qu
- Laboratory Medicine Center Aviation General Hospital, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, New Jersey; Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey
| | - Hong Du
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China.
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12
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Huang L, Li Y, Xu C, Zhou M, Wang T, Wang T, Wang J, Tang J, Li Y, Dong N. A novel virulence plasmid encoding yersiniabactin, salmochelin, and RmpADC from hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae of distinct genetic backgrounds. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0093523. [PMID: 37819104 PMCID: PMC10648971 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00935-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) is increasingly reported worldwide as a major clinical and public health threat. The virulence of hvKP is attributed largely to the carriage of virulence plasmids (KpVPs). To date, two dominant types of KpVP have been identified, namely, KpVP-1 and KpVP-2. In this study, we reported two hvKP strains from bloodstream infections that carry highly identical virulence plasmids that exhibited <40% coverage compared with KpVP-1 and KpVP-2. This novel virulence plasmid was designated KpVP-3. The two hvKP have different genetic backgrounds, which belonged to ST29-K54 and ST111-K63, respectively. They were both positive for the string test, highly virulent on the Galleria mellonella infection model, and possess high-level macrophage-killing resistance in vitro. Apart from the intrinsic non-susceptibility to ampicillin, both strains were susceptible to commonly used antibiotics. The virulence plasmid carried virulence genes rmpADC, iroBCDN (iro1), and the ybt locus (ybt4) which was not present on either KpVP-1 or KpVP-2. It did not carry antimicrobial resistance genes but carried an incomplete conjugation machinery containing only the traH and traF genes. The KpVP-3 plasmid was stably maintained in both hvKP strains and could not be eliminated with SDS treatment or by serial passage on stress-free agar plates. KpVP-3 was non-self-transmissible under experimental conditions. Data mining suggested KpVP-3-type plasmids have emerged in different countries including China, Australia, and the USA. The emergence of this novel virulence plasmid might pose a potential threat to public health. Heightened efforts are required to study its dissemination mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Huang
- Laboratory Department, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yunbing Li
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Experimental Center, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chen Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Mi Zhou
- Department of Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Tianyi Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jingyu Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jiayi Tang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Experimental Center, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ning Dong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Pathogen Bioscience and Anti-infective Medicine, School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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13
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Pu D, Zhao J, Chang K, Zhuo X, Cao B. "Superbugs" with hypervirulence and carbapenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae: the rise of such emerging nosocomial pathogens in China. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:2658-2670. [PMID: 37821268 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.09.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Although hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) can produce community-acquired infections that are fatal in young and adult hosts, such as pyogenic liver abscess, endophthalmitis, and meningitis, it has historically been susceptible to antibiotics. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) is usually associated with urinary tract infections acquired in hospitals, pneumonia, septicemias, and soft tissue infections. Outbreaks and quick spread of CRKP in hospitals have become a major challenge in public health due to the lack of effective antibacterial treatments. In the early stages of K. pneumoniae development, HvKP and CRKP first appear as distinct routes. However, the lines dividing the two pathotypes are vanishing currently, and the advent of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) is devastating as it is simultaneously multidrug-resistant, hypervirulent, and highly transmissible. Most CR-hvKP cases have been reported in Asian clinical settings, particularly in China. Typically, CR-hvKP develops when hvKP or CRKP acquires plasmids that carry either the carbapenem-resistance gene or the virulence gene. Alternatively, classic K. pneumoniae (cKP) may acquire a hybrid plasmid carrying both genes. In this review, we provide an overview of the key antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, virulence factors, clinical presentations, and outcomes associated with CR-hvKP infection. Additionally, we discuss the possible evolutionary processes and prevalence of CR-hvKP in China. Given the wide occurrence of CR-hvKP, continued surveillance and control measures of such organisms should be assigned a higher priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni Pu
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Jiankang Zhao
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Kang Chang
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xianxia Zhuo
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Bin Cao
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
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14
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DeLeo FR, Porter AR, Kobayashi SD, Freedman B, Hao M, Jiang J, Lin YT, Kreiswirth BN, Chen L. Interaction of multidrug-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae with components of human innate host defense. mBio 2023; 14:e0194923. [PMID: 37671860 PMCID: PMC10653787 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01949-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae strains with a combination of multidrug resistance and hypervirulence genotypes (MDR hvKp) have emerged as a cause of human infections. The ability of these microbes to avoid killing by the innate immune system remains to be tested fully. To that end, we compared the ability of a global collection of hvKp and MDR hvKp clinical isolates to survive in human blood and resist phagocytic killing by human neutrophils. The two MDR hvKp clinical isolates tested (ST11 and ST147) were killed in human blood and by human neutrophils in vitro, whereas phagocytic killing of hvKp clinical isolates (ST23 and ST86) required specific antisera. Although the data were varied and often isolate specific, they are an important first step toward gaining an enhanced understanding of host defense against MDR hvKp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank R. DeLeo
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Adeline R. Porter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Scott D. Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Brett Freedman
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Mingju Hao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Jianping Jiang
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Yi-Tsung Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Barry N. Kreiswirth
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Liang Chen
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
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15
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Khadka S, Ring BE, Walker RS, Krzeminski LR, Pariseau DA, Hathaway M, Mobley HLT, Mike LA. Urine-mediated suppression of Klebsiella pneumoniae mucoidy is counteracted by spontaneous Wzc variants altering capsule chain length. mSphere 2023; 8:e0028823. [PMID: 37610214 PMCID: PMC10597399 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00288-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a hospital-associated pathogen primarily causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, and septicemia. Two challenging lineages include the hypervirulent strains, causing invasive community-acquired infections, and the carbapenem-resistant classical strains, most frequently isolated from UTIs. While hypervirulent strains are often characterized by a hypermucoid phenotype, classical strains usually present with low mucoidy. Since clinical UTI isolates tend to exhibit limited mucoidy, we hypothesized that environmental conditions may drive K. pneumoniae adaptation to the urinary tract and select against mucoid isolates. We found that both hypervirulent K. pneumoniae and classical Klebsiella UTI isolates significantly suppressed mucoidy when cultured in urine without reducing capsule abundance. A genetic screen identified secondary mutations in the wzc tyrosine kinase that overcome urine-suppressed mucoidy. Over-expressing Wzc variants in trans was sufficient to boost mucoidy in both hypervirulent and classical Klebsiella UTI isolates. Wzc is a bacterial tyrosine kinase that regulates capsule polymerization and extrusion. Although some Wzc variants reduced Wzc phospho-status, urine did not alter Wzc phospho-status. Urine does, however, increase K. pneumoniae capsule chain length diversity and enhance cell-surface attachment. The identified Wzc variants counteract urine-mediated effects on capsule chain length and cell attachment. Combined, these data indicate that capsule chain length correlates with K. pneumoniae mucoidy and that this extracellular feature can be fine-tuned by spontaneous Wzc mutations, which alter host interactions. Spontaneous Wzc mutation represents a global mechanism that could fine-tune K. pneumoniae niche-specific fitness in both classical and hypervirulent isolates. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae is high-priority pathogen causing both hospital-associated infections, such as urinary tract infections, and community-acquired infections. Clinical isolates from community-acquired infection are often characterized by a tacky, hypermucoid phenotype, while urinary tract isolates are usually not mucoid. Historically, mucoidy was attributed to capsule overproduction; however, recent reports have demonstrated that K. pneumoniae capsule abundance and mucoidy are not always correlated. Here, we report that human urine suppresses K. pneumoniae mucoidy, diversifies capsule polysaccharide chain length, and increases cell surface association. Moreover, specific mutations in the capsule biosynthesis gene, wzc, are sufficient to overcome urine-mediated suppression of mucoidy. These Wzc variants cause constitutive production of more uniform capsular polysaccharide chains and increased release of capsule from the cell surface, even in urine. These data demonstrate that K. pneumoniae regulates capsule chain length and cell surface attachment in response host cues, which can alter bacteria-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saroj Khadka
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Brooke E Ring
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Ryan S Walker
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Drew A Pariseau
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Matthew Hathaway
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Harry L T Mobley
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Laura A Mike
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo , Toledo, Ohio, USA
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16
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Chu WHW, Tan YH, Tan SY, Chen Y, Yong M, Lye DC, Kalimuddin S, Archuleta S, Gan YH. Acquisition of regulator on virulence plasmid of hypervirulent Klebsiella allows bacterial lifestyle switch in response to iron. mBio 2023; 14:e0129723. [PMID: 37530523 PMCID: PMC10470599 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01297-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae causes liver abscess and potentially devastating metastatic complications. The majority of Klebsiella-induced liver abscess are caused by the CG23-I sublineage of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. This and some other lineages possess a >200-kb virulence plasmid. We discovered a novel protein IroP nestled in the virulence plasmid-encoded salmochelin operon that cross-regulates and suppresses the promoter activity of chromosomal type 3 fimbriae (T3F) gene transcription. IroP is itself repressed by iron through the ferric uptake regulator. Iron-rich conditions increase T3F and suppress capsule mucoviscosity, leading to biofilm formation and cell adhesion. Conversely, iron-poor conditions cause a transcriptional switch to hypermucoid capsule production and T3F repression. The likely acquisition of iroP on mobile genetic elements and successful adaptive integration into the genetic circuitry of a major lineage of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae reveal a powerful example of plasmid chromosomal cross talk that confers an evolutionary advantage. Our discovery also addresses the conundrum of how the hypermucoid capsule that impedes adhesion could be regulated to facilitate biofilm formation and colonization. The acquired ability of the bacteria to alternate between a state favoring dissemination and one that favors colonization in response to iron availability through transcriptional regulation offers novel insights into the evolutionary success of this pathogen. IMPORTANCE Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae contributes to the majority of monomicrobial-induced liver abscess infections that can lead to several other metastatic complications. The large virulence plasmid is highly stable in major lineages, suggesting that it provides survival benefits. We discovered a protein IroP encoded on the virulence plasmid that suppresses expression of the type 3 fimbriae. IroP itself is regulated by iron, and we showed that iron regulates hypermucoid capsule production while inversely regulating type 3 fimbriae expression through IroP. The acquisition and integration of this inverse transcriptional switch between fimbriae and capsule mucoviscosity shows an evolved sophisticated plasmid-chromosomal cross talk that changes the behavior of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in response to a key nutrient that could contribute to the evolutionary success of this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson H. W. Chu
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Han Tan
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Si Yin Tan
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yahua Chen
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Melvin Yong
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - David C. Lye
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore, Singapore
- Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shirin Kalimuddin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Program in Emerging Infectious Disease, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sophia Archuleta
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yunn-Hwen Gan
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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17
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van der Lans SPA, Janet-Maitre M, Masson FM, Walker KA, Doorduijn DJ, Janssen AB, van Schaik W, Attrée I, Rooijakkers SHM, Bardoel BW. Colistin resistance mutations in phoQ can sensitize Klebsiella pneumoniae to IgM-mediated complement killing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12618. [PMID: 37537263 PMCID: PMC10400624 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39613-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to multi-drug resistance, physicians increasingly use the last-resort antibiotic colistin to treat infections with the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae. Unfortunately, K. pneumoniae can also develop colistin resistance. Interestingly, colistin resistance has dual effects on bacterial clearance by the immune system. While it increases resistance to antimicrobial peptides, colistin resistance has been reported to sensitize certain bacteria for killing by human serum. Here we investigate the mechanisms underlying this increased serum sensitivity, focusing on human complement which kills Gram-negatives via membrane attack complex (MAC) pores. Using in vitro evolved colistin resistant strains and a fluorescent MAC-mediated permeabilization assay, we showed that two of the three tested colistin resistant strains, Kp209_CSTR and Kp257_CSTR, were sensitized to MAC. Transcriptomic and mechanistic analyses focusing on Kp209_CSTR revealed that a mutation in the phoQ gene locked PhoQ in an active state, making Kp209_CSTR colistin resistant and MAC sensitive. Detailed immunological assays showed that complement activation on Kp209_CSTR in human serum required specific IgM antibodies that bound Kp209_CSTR but did not recognize the wild-type strain. Together, our results show that developing colistin resistance affected recognition of Kp209_CSTR and its killing by the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjors P A van der Lans
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Manon Janet-Maitre
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Cellular Responses Group, UMR5075, Institute of Structural Biology, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Frerich M Masson
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberly A Walker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dennis J Doorduijn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Axel B Janssen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ina Attrée
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Cellular Responses Group, UMR5075, Institute of Structural Biology, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Suzan H M Rooijakkers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bart W Bardoel
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Ovchinnikova OG, Treat LP, Teelucksingh T, Clarke BR, Miner TA, Whitfield C, Walker KA, Miller VL. Hypermucoviscosity Regulator RmpD Interacts with Wzc and Controls Capsular Polysaccharide Chain Length. mBio 2023; 14:e0080023. [PMID: 37140436 PMCID: PMC10294653 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00800-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, including pneumonia, bacteremia, and urinary tract infections. Treatment options are increasingly restricted by the high prevalence of resistance to frontline antibiotics, including carbapenems, and the recently identified plasmid-conferred colistin resistance. The classical pathotype (cKp) is responsible for most of the nosocomial infections observed globally, and these isolates are often multidrug resistant. The hypervirulent pathotype (hvKp) is a primary pathogen capable of causing community-acquired infections in immunocompetent hosts. The hypermucoviscosity (HMV) phenotype is strongly associated with the increased virulence of hvKp isolates. Recent studies demonstrated that HMV requires capsule (CPS) synthesis and the small protein RmpD but is not dependent on the increased amount of capsule associated with hvKp. Here, we identified the structure of the capsular and extracellular polysaccharide isolated from hvKp strain KPPR1S (serotype K2) with and without RmpD. We found that the polymer repeat unit structure is the same in both strains and that it is identical to the K2 capsule. However, the chain length of CPS produced by strains expressing rmpD demonstrates more uniform length. This property was reconstituted in CPS from Escherichia coli isolates that possess the same CPS biosynthesis pathway as K. pneumoniae but naturally lack rmpD. Furthermore, we demonstrate that RmpD binds Wzc, a conserved capsule biosynthesis protein required for CPS polymerization and export. Based on these observations, we present a model for how the interaction of RmpD with Wzc could impact CPS chain length and HMV. IMPORTANCE Infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae continue to be a global public health threat; the treatment of these infections is complicated by the high frequency of multidrug resistance. K. pneumoniae produces a polysaccharide capsule required for virulence. Hypervirulent isolates also have a hypermucoviscous (HMV) phenotype that increases virulence, and we recently demonstrated that a horizontally acquired gene, rmpD, is required for HMV and hypervirulence but that the identity of the polymeric product(s) in HMV isolates is uncertain. Here, we demonstrate that RmpD regulates capsule chain length and interacts with Wzc, a part of the capsule polymerization and export machinery shared by many pathogens. We further show that RmpD confers HMV and regulates capsule chain length in a heterologous host (E. coli). As Wzc is a conserved protein found in many pathogens, it is possible that RmpD-mediated HMV and increased virulence may not be restricted to K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga G. Ovchinnikova
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Logan P. Treat
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tanisha Teelucksingh
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bradley R. Clarke
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Taryn A. Miner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chris Whitfield
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kimberly A. Walker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Virginia L. Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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19
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Yang X, Liu X, Chan EWC, Zhang R, Chen S. Functional Characterization of Plasmid-Borne rmpADC Homologues in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0308122. [PMID: 37092989 PMCID: PMC10269444 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03081-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Expression of the hypermucoviscosity (HMV) phenotype and capsular polysaccharide (CPS) biosynthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae were reported to be encoded by genes located in the chromosomal rmp locus. However, the functions of the rmp locus in the virulence plasmid remained unclear, and most of the rmp loci in clinical K. pneumoniae are plasmid carried. In this study, we investigated the functional characteristics of plasmid-borne rmp homologues in clinical hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP) strains by cloning and introducing such gene homologues into K. pneumoniae strains of different capsule types, followed by the evaluation of phenotypic changes in these strains. Acquisition of the plasmid-borne prmpADC and prmpA2D2 loci were found to result in an increase in mucoviscosity and CPS production in K1 and K2 K. pneumoniae, while only the prmpA2D2 locus contributed to phenotypic changes in the ST11/KL64 strain. Consistently, both rmpD and rmpD2 increased HMV in K1 and K2 K. pneumoniae, while only rmpD2 contributed to HMV in the ST11/KL64 strain; rmpC contributed to CPS overproduction in K1 and K2 strains but not in the ST11/KL64 strain. Furthermore, we proposed a logistic molecular basis of the HMV phenotype of K. pneumoniae on which prmpD2-mediated HMV is attributed to the increase of cell-free CPS production. Our data confirm that the rmp homologues carried by the virulence plasmid play a key role in virulence expression in K. pneumoniae, but the phenotype is highly dependent on the genetic background of the host strain and explained why most of the clinical ST11 strains carry only the prmpA2D2 locus. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae has become the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogen in hospital settings, with a very high mortality rate worldwide. Factors contributing to the virulence of K. pneumoniae are the overproduction of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) as well as the hypermucoviscosity (HMV) phenotype. These two phenotypes were reported to be regulated by rmpA/A2 homologues, which are often carried by virulence plasmids. Here, we determined the functional role of two plasmid-borne rmpA in mediating expression of the HMV phenotype and CPS production in K. pneumoniae. Different capsule types exhibited differences in the expression of HMV and CPS production although they harbored an identical plasmid-borne rmpA or rmpA2 locus, indicating that these virulence-related phenotypes are strongly related to the genetic background of the host strains. Our study provides a novel understanding of the regulation of virulence-related phenotypes and clinical management of K. pneumoniae infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Yang
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoxuan Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Edward Wai-Chi Chan
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Rong Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
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Wang L, Huang X, Jin Q, Tang J, Zhang H, Zhang JR, Wu H. Two-Component Response Regulator OmpR Regulates Mucoviscosity through Energy Metabolism in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0054423. [PMID: 37097167 PMCID: PMC10269446 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00544-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypermucoviscosity is a hallmark of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP). However, the molecular basis of its regulation is largely unknown. We hypothesize that hypermucoviscosity is modulated via two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs). In-frame deletion mutants of all 33 response regulators of hvKP ATCC43816 were generated using CRISPR/CAS and evaluated for their impacts on hypermucoviscosity. The response regulator OmpR is required for hypermucoviscosity in vitro and virulence in vivo in a mouse pneumonia model. The ΔompR mutant lost its mucoidy but retained its capsule level and comparable rmpADC expression, so transcriptomic analysis by RNA-Seq was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ΔompR mutant. The top 20 Gene Ontology terms of 273 DEGs belong to purine ribonucleotide triphosphate biosynthetic and metabolic process, transmembrane transport, and amino acid metabolism. Among the overexpressed genes in the ΔompR mutant, the atp operon encoding F-type ATP synthase and the gcvTHP encoding glycine cleavage system were characterized further as overexpression of either operon reduced the mucoviscosity and increased the production of ATP. Furthermore, OmpR directly bound the promoter region of the atp operon, not the gcvTHP, suggesting that OmpR regulates the expression of the atp operon directly and gcvTHP indirectly. Hence, the loss of OmpR led to the overexpression of F-type ATP synthase and glycine cleavage system, which altered the energetic status of ΔompR cells and contributed to the subsequent reduction in the mucoviscosity. Our study has uncovered a previously unknown regulation of bacterial metabolism by OmpR and its influence on hypermucoviscosity. IMPORTANCE Hypermucoviscosity is a critical virulent factor for Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, and its regulation remains poorly understood at the molecular level. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating the role of response regulators in mediating hypermucoviscosity in K. pneumoniae. We screened 33 response regulators and found that OmpR is essential for hypermucoviscosity and virulence of K. pneumoniae in a mouse pneumonia model. Transcriptomic analysis uncovered that genes involved in energy production and metabolism are highly upregulated in the ΔompR mutant, suggesting a potential link between bacterial energy status and hypermucoviscosity. Overexpression of those genes increased production of ATP and reduced mucoviscosity, recapitulating the ΔompR mutant phenotype. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation of K. pneumoniae hypermucoviscosity by a two-component signal transduction system, highlighting the previously unknown role of OmpR in regulating bacterial energy status and its influence on hypermucoviscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Wang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueting Huang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Jin
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Tang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Department of Integrative Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Jing-Ren Zhang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wu
- Department of Integrative Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry, Portland, Oregon, USA
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21
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Arcari G, Carattoli A. Global spread and evolutionary convergence of multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae high-risk clones. Pathog Glob Health 2023; 117:328-341. [PMID: 36089853 PMCID: PMC10177687 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2022.2121362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
Abstract
For people living in developed countries life span is growing at a faster pace than ever. One of the main reasons for such success is attributable to the introduction and extensive use in the clinical practice of antibiotics over the course of the last seven decades. In hospital settings, Klebsiella pneumoniae represents a well-known and commonly described opportunistic pathogen, typically characterized by resistance to several antibiotic classes. On the other hand, the broad wedge of population living in Low and/or Middle Income Countries is increasing rapidly, allowing the spread of several commensal bacteria which are transmitted via human contact. Community transmission has been the original milieu of K. pneumoniae isolates characterized by an outstanding virulence (hypervirulent). These two characteristics, also defined as "pathotypes", originally emerged as different pathways in the evolutionary history of K. pneumoniae. For a long time, the Sequence Type (ST), which is defined by the combination of alleles of the 7 housekeeping genes of the Multi-Locus Sequence Typing, has been a reliable marker of the pathotype: multidrug-resistant clones (e.g. ST258, ST147, ST101) in the Western world and hypervirulent clones (e.g. ST23, ST65, ST86) in the Eastern. Currently, the boundaries separating the two pathotypes are fading away due to several factors, and we are witnessing a worrisome convergence in certain high-risk clones. Here we review the evidence available on confluence of multidrug-resistance and hypervirulence in specific K. pneumoniae clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Arcari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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22
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Liu P, Yang A, Tang B, Wang Z, Jian Z, Liu Y, Wang J, Zhong B, Yan Q, Liu W. Molecular epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the type VI secretion system in Klebsiella pneumoniae causing abscesses. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1181701. [PMID: 37266024 PMCID: PMC10230222 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1181701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The type VI system (T6SS) has the potential to be a new virulence factor for hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) strains. This study aimed to characterize the molecular and clinical features of T6SS-positive and T6SS-negative K. pneumoniae isolates that cause abscesses. Patients and methods A total of 169 non-duplicate K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from patients with abscesses in a tertiary hospital in China from January 2018 to June 2022, and clinical data were collected. For all isolates, capsular serotypes, T6SS genes, virulence, and drug resistance genes, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and biofilm formation assays were assessed. Multilocus sequence typing was used to analyze the genotypes of hvKp. T6SS-positive hvKp, T6SS-negative hvKp, T6SS-positive cKP, and T6SS-negative cKP (n = 4 strains for each group) were chosen for the in vivo Galleria mellonella infection model and in vitro competition experiments to further explore the microbiological characteristics of T6SS-positive K. pneumoniae isolates. Results The positive detection rate for T6SS was 36.1%. The rates of hvKp, seven virulence genes, K1 capsular serotype, and ST23 in T6SS-positive strains were all higher than those in T6SS-negative strains (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the carriage of aerobactin (OR 0.01) and wcaG (OR 33.53) were independent risk factors for T6SS-positive strains (p < 0.05). The T6SS-positive strains had a stronger biofilm-forming ability than T6SS-negative strains (p < 0.05). The T6SS-positive and T6SS-negative strains showed no significant differences in competitive ability (p = 0.06). In the in vivo G. mellonella infection model, the T6SS(+)/hvKP group had the worst prognosis. Except for cefazolin and tegacyclin, T6SS-positive isolates displayed a lower rate of antimicrobial resistance to other drugs (p < 0.05). The T6SS-positive isolates were more likely to be acquired from community infections (p < 0.05). Conclusion Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates causing abscesses have a high prevalence of T6SS genes. T6SS-positive K. pneumoniae isolates are associated with virulence, and the T6SS genes may be involved in the hvKp virulence mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peilin Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Awen Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Bin Tang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhiqian Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zijuan Jian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yanjun Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jiahui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Baiyun Zhong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qun Yan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wenen Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
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23
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Anderson JR, Lam NB, Jackson JL, Dorenkott SM, Ticer T, Maldosevic E, Velez A, Camden MR, Ellis TN. Progressive Sub-MIC Exposure of Klebsiella pneumoniae 43816 to Cephalothin Induces the Evolution of Beta-Lactam Resistance without Acquisition of Beta-Lactamase Genes. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12050887. [PMID: 37237790 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12050887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial exposure to antibiotic concentrations below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) may result in a selection window allowing for the rapid evolution of resistance. These sub-MIC concentrations are commonly found in soils and water supplies in the greater environment. This study aimed to evaluate the adaptive genetic changes in Klebsiella pneumoniae 43816 after prolonged but increasing sub-MIC levels of the common antibiotic cephalothin over a fourteen-day period. Over the course of the experiment, antibiotic concentrations increased from 0.5 μg/mL to 7.5 μg/mL. At the end of this extended exposure, the final adapted bacterial culture exhibited clinical resistance to both cephalothin and tetracycline, altered cellular and colony morphology, and a highly mucoid phenotype. Cephalothin resistance exceeded 125 μg/mL without the acquisition of beta-lactamase genes. Whole genome sequencing identified a series of genetic changes that could be mapped over the fourteen-day exposure period to the onset of antibiotic resistance. Specifically, mutations in the rpoB subunit of RNA Polymerase, the tetR/acrR regulator, and the wcaJ sugar transferase each fix at specific timepoints in the exposure regimen where the MIC susceptibility dramatically increased. These mutations indicate that alterations in the secretion of colanic acid and attachment of colonic acid to LPS may contribute to the resistant phenotype. These data demonstrate that very low sub-MIC concentrations of antibiotics can have dramatic impacts on the bacterial evolution of resistance. Additionally, this study demonstrates that beta-lactam resistance can be achieved through sequential accumulation of specific mutations without the acquisition of a beta-lactamase gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine R Anderson
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Nghi B Lam
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Jazmyne L Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Sean M Dorenkott
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Taylor Ticer
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Emir Maldosevic
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Amanda Velez
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Megan R Camden
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Terri N Ellis
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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24
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Zhou K, Xue CX, Xu T, Shen P, Wei S, Wyres KL, Lam MMC, Liu J, Lin H, Chen Y, Holt KE, Xiao Y. A point mutation in recC associated with subclonal replacement of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11 in China. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2464. [PMID: 37117217 PMCID: PMC10147710 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38061-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptation to selective pressures is crucial for clinically important pathogens to establish epidemics, but the underlying evolutionary drivers remain poorly understood. The current epidemic of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) poses a significant threat to public health. In this study we analyzed the genome sequences of 794 CRKP bloodstream isolates collected in 40 hospitals in China between 2014 and 2019. We uncovered a subclonal replacement in the predominant clone ST11, where the previously prevalent subclone OL101:KL47 was replaced by O2v1:KL64 over time in a stepwise manner. O2v1:KL64 carried a higher load of mobile genetic elements, and a point mutation exclusively detected in the recC of O2v1:KL64 significantly promotes recombination proficiency. The epidemic success of O2v1:KL64 was further associated with a hypervirulent sublineage with enhanced resistance to phagocytosis, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and tetracycline. The phenotypic alterations were linked to the overrepresentation of hypervirulence determinants and antibiotic genes conferred by the acquisition of an rmpA-positive pLVPK-like virulence plasmid and an IncFII-type multidrug-resistant plasmid, respectively. The dissemination of the sublineage was further promoted by more frequent inter-hospital transmission. The results collectively demonstrate that the expansion of O2v1:KL64 is correlated to a repertoire of genomic alterations convergent in a subpopulation with evolutionary advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhou
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China.
| | - Chun-Xu Xue
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Tingting Xu
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Ping Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Sha Wei
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Kelly L Wyres
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Margaret M C Lam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Jinquan Liu
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shenzhen People's Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Haoyun Lin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yunbo Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Kathryn E Holt
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Yonghong Xiao
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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25
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Wang W, Tian D, Hu D, Chen W, Zhou Y, Jiang X. Different regulatory mechanisms of the capsule in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia: "direct" wcaJ variation vs. "indirect" rmpA regulation. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1108818. [PMID: 37180440 PMCID: PMC10168181 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1108818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae produce an increased amount of capsular substance and are associated with a hypermucoviscous phenotype. Capsule production is regulated by capsular regulatory genes and capsular gene cluster variations. In the present study, we focus on the effect of rmpA and wcaJon capsule biosynthesis. Methods Phylogenetic trees were constructed to analyze wcaJ and rmpA sequence diversity in different serotypes hypervirulent strains. Then mutant strains (K2044ΔwcaJ, K2044K1wcaJ, K2044K2wcaJand K2044K64wcaJ) were used to verify the effects of wcaJ and its diversity on capsule synthesis and strain virulence. Furthmore, the role of rmpA in capsular synthesis and its mechanisms were detected in K2044ΔrmpA strain. Results RmpA sequences are conversed in different serotypes. And rmpA promoted the production of hypercapsules by simultaneously acting on three promoters in cps cluster. Whereas wcaJ, its sequences are different in different serotypes, and its loss result in the termination of capsular synthesis. Moreover, the results verified that K2 wcaJ could form hypercapsule in K2044 strains (K1 serotype), but K64 wcaJ could not. Discussion The interaction of multiple factors is involved in capsule synthesis, including wcaJ and rmpA. RmpA, an known conserved capsular regulator gene, acts on cps cluster promoters to promote the production of the hypercapsule. WcaJ as initiating enzyme of CPS biosynthesis, its presence determines the synthesis of capsule. Besides, different from rmpA, wcaJ sequence consistency is limited to the same serotype, which cause wcaJ functioning in different serotype strains with sequence recognition specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwen Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongxing Tian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Dakang Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taizhou Municipal Hospital, Taizhou, China
| | - Wenjie Chen
- Department of Infectious Disease, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaofei Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Zhu Q, Xu J, Chen X, Ren Y, Zhao L. Risk factors and molecular epidemiology of bloodstream infections due to carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 106:115955. [PMID: 37167651 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2023.115955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is emerging as a worldwide public health concern; however, molecular epidemiological surveillance of clinical CRKP bloodstream infection (BSI) in China is limited. We conducted a retrospective observational study to assess risk factors and the molecular epidemiology of CRKP BSI. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of enrolled patients to assess risk factors of CRKP BSI. Characteristics of CRKP isolates were analyzed by whole genome sequencing and Kleborate. Evolutionary diversification in CRKP isolates was described through Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms analysis and phylogenetic tree construction. RESULTS We found that prior ICU hospitalization and use of carbapenems were independent risk factors for CRKP BSI. The main CRKP sequence type (ST) and capsular serotype were ST11 and KL64, and KPC-2 was the most prevalent enzyme type of carbapenemase-carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae. The most prevalent aerobactin and yersiniabactin of ST11-CRKP were iuc-1 and ybt9 ICEKp3, as for KL64-CRKP. Phylogenomic analysis showed that the antibacterial resistance genes on plasmids were highly consistent, but the genetic background of the chromosomes was still different. CONCLUSIONS Our findings are important for hospitals, allowing them to limit dissemination of CRKP and optimize antibiotic administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiongfang Zhu
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yalu Ren
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Gautam I, Huss CW, Storad ZA, Krebs M, Bassiouni O, Ramesh R, Wuescher LM, Worth RG. Activated Platelets Mediate Monocyte Killing of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0055622. [PMID: 36853027 PMCID: PMC10016073 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00556-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Platelets are known for essential activities in hemostasis and for their important contribution to protection against infectious pathogens. Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen widely known to cause nosocomial infections. Recently, hypervirulent strains of K. pneumoniae have been emerging, which can cause severe infections in immunocompetent individuals. Combined with the increase in antibiotic resistance, it is important to understand how K. pneumoniae affects components of the immune system. We studied the interactions of human platelets with several K. pneumoniae strains (the wild type encapsulated strain, and a nonencapsulated mutant). Thrombin-stimulated whole human and mouse blood significantly inhibited bacterial growth compared to unstimulated whole blood. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of K. pneumoniae on platelet activation. Both strains induced significant increase in activation of both unstimulated and thrombin-stimulated human platelets. Additionally, only the nonencapsulated mutant increased aggregation of platelets in response to ADP. K. pneumoniae killing assays were then performed with washed platelets in the presence or absence of thrombin. Surprisingly, washed platelets failed to exhibit any effects on the growth of K. pneumoniae. We further explored the impact of platelets on monocyte-mediated killing of K. pneumoniae. Importantly, we found that activated platelets significantly enhanced monocyte-mediated killing of K. pneumoniae. This effect was likely due to the formation of platelet-monocyte aggregates in blood upon thrombin stimulation. Overall, this study highlights the role of platelets in mediating a protective response against K. pneumoniae and reinforces the importance of platelets in modulating leukocyte behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iluja Gautam
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Chadwick W. Huss
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Zachary A. Storad
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Michelle Krebs
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Omar Bassiouni
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Rochan Ramesh
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Leah M. Wuescher
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Randall G. Worth
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
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Fleeman RM, Mikesh M, Davies BW. Investigating Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm preservation for scanning electron microscopy. Access Microbiol 2023; 5:000470.v3. [PMID: 36910511 PMCID: PMC9996182 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000470.v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm formation is associated with chronic and relapsing infections. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful tool for characterizing biofilm structure and studying their formation. Reliable visualization of biofilm structure requires careful sample preservation, otherwise there may be loss of non-covalent interactions that are susceptible to damage during the dehydration and washing preparation steps. However, no standard procedure has been adopted in the literature to fix K. pneumoniae biofilm for scanning electron microscopy studies. This lack of standardization makes it challenging to compare results between studies and determine the degree to which native structures have been preserved. To advance this critical area of study, we investigated different scanning electron microscopy fixation methods for K. pneumoniae biofilm preservation. Our study reveals the impact preparation steps can have on retaining in biofilm architecture observed using scanning electron microscopy. Using fixation methods developed through our studies, we show that although species that overproduce capsular extracellular polysaccharides produced more robust biofilms, K. pneumoniae can form a developed biofilm in the absence of capsular polysaccharides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee M. Fleeman
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Present address: Division of Immunity and Pathogenesis, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32837, USA
| | - Michelle Mikesh
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Bryan W. Davies
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- John Ring LaMontagne Center for Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Jin M, Jia T, Liu X, Yang M, Zhang N, Chen J, Yang X, Qin S, Liu F, Tang Y, Wang Y, Guo J, Chen Y, Li B, Wang C. Clinical and genomic analysis of hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates: Identification of new hypermucoviscosity associated genes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 12:1063406. [PMID: 36683676 PMCID: PMC9846069 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1063406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae (HmKp) poses an emerging and highly pathogenic global health threat. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and genomic characteristics of HmKp isolates to better understand the virulence mechanisms of the hypermucoviscous (HMV) phenotype. Methods From May 2018 to August 2021, 203 non-repeat K. pneumoniae isolates causing invasive infections were collected from a hospital in Beijing, China. Isolates were divided into HmKp (n=90, 44.3%) and non-HmKp (n=113, 55.7%) groups according to string test results. Results Multivariate regression showed that diabetes mellitus (odds ratio [OR]=2.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-4.05, p=0.010) and liver abscess (OR=2.93, CI 95%:1.29-7.03, p=0.012) were associated with HmKp infections. K. pneumoniae was highly diverse, comprising 87 sequence types (STs) and 54 serotypes. Among HmKp isolates, ST23 was the most frequent ST (25/90, 27.8%), and the most prevalent serotypes were KL2 (31/90, 34.4%) and KL1 (27/90, 30.0%). Thirteen virulence genes were located on the capsular polysaccharide synthesis region of KL1 strains. HmKp isolates were sensitive to multiple antibiotics but carried more SHV-type extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance genes (p<0.05), suggesting that the emergence of ESBL-mediated multidrug resistance in HmKp should be monitored carefully during treatment. Phylogenetic analysis disclosed that HmKp isolates were highly diverse. Comparative genomic analysis confirmed that the HMV phenotype is a plasmid-encoded virulence factor. Seventeen HmKp genes were highly associated with HmKp, and included rmpAC, 7 iron-acquisition-related genes, and pagO, which may promote liver abscess formation. Discussion This investigation provides insight into the mechanisms producing the HMV phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiling Jin
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Tianye Jia
- The Clinical Laboratory, Fifth Medical Center of People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiong Liu
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- Department of Information, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Meitao Yang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Na Zhang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jiali Chen
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojing Yang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Shiyu Qin
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Fangni Liu
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Tang
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jinpeng Guo
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Department of Emergency Response, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Boan Li
- The Clinical Laboratory, Fifth Medical Center of People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Changjun Wang
- Department of Health Service, Chinese People's Liberation Army Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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30
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Dong N, Li R, Lai Y. Editorial: Klebsiella pneumoniae: Antimicrobial resistance, virulence and therapeutic strategies. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1108817. [PMID: 36619763 PMCID: PMC9817102 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1108817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ning Dong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China,Suzhou Key Laboratory of Pathogen Bioscience and Anti-infective Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou, China,*Correspondence: Ning Dong,
| | - Ruichao Li
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China,Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yichyi Lai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, China,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, China
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31
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Wang S, Ding Q, Zhang Y, Zhang A, Wang Q, Wang R, Wang X, Jin L, Ma S, Wang H. Evolution of Virulence, Fitness, and Carbapenem Resistance Transmission in ST23 Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae with the Capsular Polysaccharide Synthesis Gene wcaJ Inserted via Insertion Sequence Elements. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0240022. [PMID: 36222687 PMCID: PMC9769677 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02400-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) is recognized as a threat worldwide, but the mechanisms underlying its emergence remain unclear. As most CR-hvKP isolates are not hypermucoviscous, we speculated that the evolution of the capsule might result in the convergence of carbapenem resistance and hypervirulence. Here, 2,096 K. pneumoniae isolates were retrospectively collected to screen the ST23-K1 clone, and hypervirulence was roughly defined as being highly resistant to serum killing. The effect of wcaJ on the capsule, virulence, fitness, and resistance acquisition was further analyzed. The capsule gene wcaJ, inserted by ISKpn26/ISKpn74, was identified via whole-genome sequencing in four hvKP, but not hypermucoviscous, isolates. Uronic acid quantitation results revealed that these isolates produced significantly less capsular polysaccharides than NTUH-K2044. A significant increase in capsular production was observed in wcaJ-complemented isolates and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Further, all wcaJ-complemented isolates acquired greater resistance to macrophage phagocytosis, and one representative isolate resulted in a significantly higher mortality rate than the parental isolate in mice, indicating that wcaJ inactivation might compromise virulence. However, isolates with wcaJ interruption demonstrated a lower fitness cost and a high conjugation frequency of the blaKPC-2 plasmid, raising concerns about the emergence of carbapenem resistance in hvKP. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most common nosocomial pathogens worldwide, and we speculated that the evolution of the capsule might result in the convergence of carbapenem resistance and hypervirulence of K. pneumoniae. The wcaJ gene was first reported to be interrupted by insertion sequence elements in ST23-K1 hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, resulting in little capsule synthesis, which plays an important role in virulence. We examined the effect of wcaJ on the capsule, virulence, and fitness. Isolates with wcaJ interruption might compromise virulence and demonstrated a lower fitness cost and a high conjugation frequency of the blaKPC-2 plasmid, highlighting its role as a potential factor facilitating hypervirulence and carbapenem resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyi Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
- Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yawei Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Anru Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ruobing Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojuan Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Longyang Jin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
- Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
- Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
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Xu M, Qian C, Jia H, Feng L, Shi S, Zhang Y, Wang L, Cao J, Zhou T, Zhou C. Emergence of Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance and Decreased Virulence in Carbapenem-Resistant ST11 Klebsiella pneumoniae During Antibiotics Treatment. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:6881-6891. [PMID: 36465808 PMCID: PMC9717589 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s387187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) poses a serious threat to human public health. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) is currently one of the few effective antibiotics for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). METHODS AND RESULTS Here, we analyzed two longitudinal Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates (FK8578, FK8695) that were isolated from an ICU patient during antimicrobial treatment. Broth microdilution method, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and comparative genomic analysis were used to elucidate the dynamics and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. String test, quantification of capsule, biofilm inhibition test and Galleria mellonella (G. mellonella) infection model were used to explore the changes in virulence of the two clinical isolates. During antibiotic treatment, CRKP FK8578 underwent a series of drug resistance and virulence changes, including CZA resistance, carbapenem susceptibility and virulence attenuation. The results of WGS showed that mutation of bla KPC-2 to bla KPC-33 was responsible for the change of drug resistance phenotype between FK8578 and FK8695. pLVPK-like virulence plasmid without siderophore synthesis operon was identified in the two strains. On the other hand, the loss of hypermucoviscosity phenotype in the FK8695 strain may be related to a single nucleotide deletion of the rmpA gene, which would further lead to a decrease in virulence. Virulence results showed that compared with FK8578, FK8695 was negative in the string test, with decreased capsular production, smaller amounts of biofilm formation and higher survival rate of G. mellonella. CONCLUSION This is the first report of CZA resistance and decreased virulence in ST11 CRKP strains during antimicrobial treatment. It is urgent to monitor CZA resistance and timely adjust anti-infective treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxin Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Changrui Qian
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huaiyu Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Luozhu Feng
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shiyi Shi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lingbo Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianming Cao
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tieli Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Cui Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Wei S, Xu T, Chen Y, Zhou K. Autophagy, cell death, and cytokines in K. pneumoniae infection: Therapeutic Perspectives. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022; 12:2140607. [DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2140607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sha Wei
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Second Clinical Medical College (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Jinan University; the First Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Tingting Xu
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Second Clinical Medical College (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Jinan University; the First Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuxin Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Jiangsu University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kai Zhou
- Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Second Clinical Medical College (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Jinan University; the First Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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Hudson AW, Barnes AJ, Bray AS, Ornelles DA, Zafar MA. Klebsiella pneumoniae l-Fucose Metabolism Promotes Gastrointestinal Colonization and Modulates Its Virulence Determinants. Infect Immun 2022; 90:e0020622. [PMID: 36129299 PMCID: PMC9584338 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00206-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by Klebsiella pneumoniae is generally considered asymptomatic. However, gut colonization allows K. pneumoniae to either translocate to sterile site within the same host or transmit through the fecal-oral route to another host. K. pneumoniae gut colonization is poorly understood, but knowledge of this first step toward infection and spread is critical for combatting its disease manifestations. K. pneumoniae must overcome colonization resistance (CR) provided by the host microbiota to establish itself within the gut. One such mechanism of CR is through nutrient competition. Pathogens that metabolize a broad range of substrates have the ability to bypass nutrient competition and overcome CR. Herein, we demonstrate that in response to mucin-derived fucose, the conserved fucose metabolism operon (fuc) of K. pneumoniae is upregulated in the murine gut, and we subsequently show that fucose metabolism promotes robust gut colonization. Growth studies using cecal filtrate as a proxy for the gut lumen illustrate the growth advantage that the fuc operon provides K. pneumoniae. We further show that fucose metabolism allows K. pneumoniae to be competitive with a commensal Escherichia coli isolate (Nissle). However, Nissle is eventually able to outcompete K. pneumoniae, suggesting that it can be utilized to enhance CR. Finally, we observed that fucose metabolism positively modulates hypermucoviscosity, autoaggregation, and biofilm formation but not capsule biogenesis. Together, these insights enhance our understanding of the role of alternative carbon sources in K. pneumoniae gut colonization and the complex relationship between metabolism and virulence in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Hudson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andrew J. Barnes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andrew S. Bray
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - David A. Ornelles
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - M. Ammar Zafar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
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Efficient Suppression of Natural Plasmid-Borne Gene Expression in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Using a Compact CRISPR Interference System. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0089022. [PMID: 36222525 PMCID: PMC9664848 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00890-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need for efficient tools for genetic manipulation to assess plasmid function in clinical drug-resistant bacterial strains. To address this need, we developed an all-in-one CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system that easily inhibited the gene expression of a natural multidrug-resistant plasmid in an sequence type 23 (ST23) Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate. We established an integrative CRISPRi system plasmid, pdCas9gRNA, harboring a dcas9 gene and a single guide RNA (sgRNA) unit under the control of anhydrotetracycline-induced and J23119 promoters, respectively, using a one-step cloning method. This system can repress the single resistance gene blaNDM-1, with a >1,000-fold reduction in the meropenem MIC, or simultaneously silence the resistance genes blaNDM-1 and blaSHV-12, with a 16-fold and 8-fold respective reduction in the meropenem and aztreonam MIC on a large natural multidrug-resistant pNK01067-NDM-1 plasmid in an ST23 K. pneumoniae isolate. Furthermore, an sgRNA targeting the blaNDM-1 promoter region can silence the entire blaNDM-1-bleMBL-trpF operon, confirming the existence of the operon. We also used this tool to knock down the multicopy resistance gene blaKPC-2 in pathogenic Escherichia coli, increasing the susceptibility to meropenem. In a word, the all-in-one CRISPRi system can be used for efficient interrogation of indigenous plasmid-borne gene functions, providing a rapid, easy genetic manipulation tool for clinical K. pneumoniae isolates.
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Gong X, Zhao Q, Wu Y, Zhou H, Ding S, Zhu K. Mucoid Acinetobacter baumannii enhances anti-phagocytosis through reducing C3b deposition. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:879361. [PMID: 36186828 PMCID: PMC9521736 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.879361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundMultidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii causes serious infections in intensive care units and is hard to be eradicated by antibiotics. Many A. baumannii isolates are identified as the mucoid type recently, but the biological characteristics of mucoid A. baumannii and their interactions with host cells remains unclear.MethodsThe mucoid phenotype, antimicrobial susceptibility, biofilm-forming ability, acid resistance ability, peroxide tolerance, and in vivo toxicity of clinical ICUs derived A. baumannii isolates were first investigated. Secondly, the phagocytic resistance and invasive capacity of A. baumannii isolates to macrophages (MH-S, RAW264.7) and epithelial cells (A549) were analyzed. Furthermore, the abundance of C3b (complement factor C3 degradation product) deposition on the surface of A. baumannii was investigated. Last, the relationship between C3b deposition and the abundance of capsule in A. baumannii isolates were analyzed.ResultsThese A. baumannii strains showed different mucoid phenotypes including hyper mucoid (HM), medium mucoid (MM), and low mucoid (LM). All tested strains were MDR with high tolerance to either acid or hydrogen peroxide exposure. Notably, these mucoid strains showed the increase of mortality in the Galleria mellonella infection models. Besides, the HM strain exhibited less biofilm abundance, higher molecular weight (MW) of capsule, and greater anti-phagocytic activity to macrophages than the LM strain. Together with the increased abundance of capsule, high expression of tuf gene (associated with the hydrolysis of C3b), the HM strain effectively inhibits C3b deposition on bacterial surface, resulting in the low-opsonization phenotype.ConclusionCapsular characteristics facilitate the anti-phagocytic activity in hyper mucoid A. baumannii through the reduction of C3b deposition. Mucoid A. baumannii exhibits high phagocytosis resistance to both macrophages and epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Gong
- National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yifan Wu
- National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongwei Zhou
- Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shuangyang Ding
- National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Kui Zhu
- National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Kui Zhu,
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Liu S, Ding Y, Xu Y, Li Z, Zeng Z, Liu J. An outbreak of extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Southwest China. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:979219. [PMID: 36176583 PMCID: PMC9513609 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.979219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (XDR-hvKp) is a new problem for patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and can become an even more severe threat if resistant to tigecycline, considered one of the ‘last lines of defense’ drugs. This study collected seven non-replicated tigecycline-resistant XDR-hvKp from seven patients and performed genome analysis and epidemiological investigation using whole genome equencing (WGS) and other methods. All strains in this study were identified as ST11-KL64 and showed high resistance to antibiotics such as β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and tigecycline, and one strain was also resistant to colistin. All strains were determined to be hvKp by the results of serum resistance assay and Galleria mellonella infection models. All strains had resistance genes blaCTX-M-65,blaKPC-2,blaLAP-2,blaTEM-1B, rmtB, and qnrS1 and virulence factors such as rmpA, rmpA2, and aerobactin (iucABCD, iutA). The expression of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump was upregulated in all strains, and the expression levels of the gene pmrK was significantly upregulated in colistin-resistant strain DP compared to colistin-sensitive strain WT in this study. In conclusion, we described an outbreak caused by tigecycline-resistant XDR-hvKp in the ICU of a teaching hospital in southwest China. The spread of these superbugs poses a great threat to patients and therefore requires us to closely monitor these XDR-hvKp and develop relevant strategies to combat them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jinbo Liu
- *Correspondence: Jinbo Liu, ; Zhangrui Zeng,
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Zhao L, Xia X, Yuan T, Zhu J, Shen Z, Li M. Molecular Epidemiology of Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence and Capsular Serotypes of Carbapenemase-Carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae in China. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11081100. [PMID: 36009969 PMCID: PMC9405458 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11081100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study analyzed genomic data of 4643 strains of carbapenemase-carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN) in China by using the Kleborate software package. The data showed rich diversity in carbapenemase-carrying KPN genomes, which contain not only 152 sequence types but also 90 capsular serotypes. In 2013, the transfer of carbapenemase to hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (HvKP) of KL1 and KL2 occurred, and since 2014, the propagation of carbapenemase into mammals, poultry, and insects has been detected. The ST11 capsular serotype had a reversal of the prevalence of KL47 and KL64 in 2016, with KL64 replacing KL47 as the dominant serotype. Colibactin is a very suitable indicator to differentiate KL1-type HvKP and classic Klebsiella pneumoniae. The most prevalent yersiniabactin of KL1 is ybt1 ICEKp10, and that of ST11 carbapenem-resistant KPN(ST11-CRKP) is ybt9 ICEKp3. The virulence genes of KL1 carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent KPN (KL1-CRHvKP), as well as ST65- and ST86-type KL2-CRHvKP, were not lost after carbapenemase was obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Zhao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Xinxin Xia
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Ting Yuan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Junying Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Zhen Shen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
- Correspondence:
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Spadar A, Perdigão J, Campino S, Clark TG. Genomic analysis of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae reveals potential genetic markers for differentiation from classical strains. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13671. [PMID: 35953553 PMCID: PMC9372168 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17995-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) infections are nosocomial, but a growing number of community-acquired infections are caused by hypervirulent strains (hvKp) characterised by liver invasion and rapid metastasis. Unlike nosocomial Kp infections, hvKp are generally susceptible to antibiotics. Due to the rapid progression of hvKp infections, timely and accurate diagnosis is required for effective treatment. To identify potential drivers of the hypervirulent phenotype, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis on single nucleotide variants and accessory genome loci across 79 publicly available Kp isolates collected from patients’ liver and a diverse global Kp dataset (n = 646). The GWAS analysis revealed 29 putative genes (P < 10–10) associated with higher risk of liver phenotype, including hypervirulence linked salmochelin iro (odds ratio (OR): 29.8) and aerobactin iuc (OR: 14.1) loci. A minority of liver isolates (n = 15, 19%) had neither of these siderophores nor any other shared biomarker, suggesting possible unknown drivers of hypervirulence and an intrinsic ability of Kp to invade the liver. Despite identifying potential novel loci linked to a liver invasive Kp phenotype, our work highlights the need for large-scale studies involving more sequence types to identify further hypervirulence biomarkers to assist clinical decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Spadar
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - João Perdigão
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Susana Campino
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Taane G Clark
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK. .,Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
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Huang X, Li X, An H, Wang J, Ding M, Wang L, Li L, Ji Q, Qu F, Wang H, Xu Y, Lu X, He Y, Zhang JR. Capsule type defines the capability of Klebsiella pneumoniae in evading Kupffer cell capture in the liver. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010693. [PMID: 35914009 PMCID: PMC9342791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Polysaccharide capsule is the main virulence factor of K. pneumoniae, a major pathogen of bloodstream infections in humans. While more than 80 capsular serotypes have been identified in K. pneumoniae, only several serotypes are frequently identified in invasive infections. It is documented that the capsule enhances bacterial resistance to phagocytosis, antimicrobial peptides and complement deposition under in vitro conditions. However, the precise role of the capsule in the process of K. pneumoniae bloodstream infections remains to be elucidated. Here we show that the capsule promotes K. pneumoniae survival in the bloodstream by protecting bacteria from being captured by liver resident macrophage Kupffer cells (KCs). Our real-time in vivo imaging revealed that blood-borne acapsular K. pneumoniae mutant is rapidly captured and killed by KCs in the liver sinusoids of mice, whereas, to various extents, encapsulated strains bypass the anti-bacterial machinery in a serotype-dependent manner. Using capsule switched strains, we show that certain high-virulence (HV) capsular serotypes completely block KC’s capture, whereas the low-virulence (LV) counterparts confer partial protection against KC’s capture. Moreover, KC’s capture of the LV K. pneumoniae could be in vivo neutralized by free capsular polysaccharides of homologous but not heterologous serotypes, indicating that KCs specifically recognize the LV capsules. Finally, immunization with inactivated K. pneumoniae enables KCs to capture the HV K. pneumoniae. Together, our findings have uncovered that KCs are the major target cells of K. pneumoniae capsule to promote bacterial survival and virulence, which can be reversed by vaccination. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major human pathogen. While capsule is the main virulence factor of the pathogen, only several of more than 80 capsule serotypes are frequently identified in invasive infections. However, it remains unclear how capsule contributes to K. pneumoniae virulence. Here we show that capsule type defines K. pneumoniae virulence by differential escape of immune surveillance in the liver. While low-virulence (LV) types are captured by Kupffer cells (KCs), high-virulence (HV) types circumvent the anti-bacterial machinery. Further, inactivated K. pneumoniae vaccine enables KCs to capture the HV K. pneumoniae and protects mice from lethal infection. Our findings explain the clinical prevalence of HV capsule types, and provide promising insights for future vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueting Huang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuyuan Li
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Haoran An
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Juanjuan Wang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Ming Ding
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Wang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lulu Li
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Quanjiang Ji
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fen Qu
- The Center of Clinical Diagnosis Laboratory, 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China
- China Aviation General Hospital of China Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yingchun Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxin Lu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan He
- Research Beyond Borders, Boehringer Ingelheim (China), Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Ren Zhang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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Dey T, Chakrabortty A, Kapoor A, Warrier A, Nag VL, Sivashanmugam K, Shankar M. Unusual Hypermucoviscous Clinical Isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae with No Known Determinants of Hypermucoviscosity. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0039322. [PMID: 35647656 PMCID: PMC9241604 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00393-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae can be broadly classified into classical strains that cause drug-resistant, hospital-associated infections and hypervirulent strains that cause invasive, community-acquired, drug-susceptible infections. Hypermucoviscosity in Klebsiella pneumoniae has been associated with immune evasion and hypervirulence. A string-test-positive, hypermucoviscous strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, P34, was isolated from the cystic lesion of a patient who reported to a tertiary care hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Given the antibiotic-susceptible and hypermucoviscous nature of the isolate, it was suspected to belong to the hypervirulent lineage of Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, P34 did not overproduce capsular polysaccharides and also remained susceptible to the antimicrobial effects of human serum when tested alongside strains that were non-hypermucoviscous. Sequencing of the genome of P34 revealed the absence of any large virulence plasmids or integrative conjugative elements that usually carry hypermucoviscosity- and hypervirulence-associated genes. P34 also lacked key virulence determinants such as aerobactin, yersiniabactin, and salmochelin biosynthesis clusters. In addition, P34 lacked homologs for genes associated with enhanced capsule synthesis and hypermucoviscosity, such as rmpA, rmpA2, rmpC, and rmpD (regulator of mucoid phenotype). These observations suggest that P34 may harbor novel genetic determinants of hypermucoviscosity independent of the indirectly acting rmpA and the recently described rmpD. IMPORTANCE Hypermucoviscosity is a characteristic of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, which are capable of causing invasive disease in community settings. This study reports phenotyping and genomic analysis of an unusual clinical isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae, P34, which exhibits hypermucoviscosity and yet does not harbor rmp (regulator of mucoid phenotype) genes, which are known determinants of hypermucoviscosity (rmpA and rmpD). Similar clinical isolates belonging to the K. pneumoniae complex that are hypermucoviscous but do not harbor the rmp loci have been reported from India and abroad, indicating the prevalence of unknown determinants contributing to hypermucoviscosity. Therefore, strains like P34 will serve as model systems to mechanistically study potentially novel determinants of hypermucoviscosity in the K. pneumoniae complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamal Dey
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ardhendu Chakrabortty
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Aastha Kapoor
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Anuja Warrier
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Vijaya Lakshmi Nag
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Karthikeyan Sivashanmugam
- School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Manoharan Shankar
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
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Inosine and D-Mannose Secreted by Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Affect Viability of Lung Epithelial Cells. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27092994. [PMID: 35566345 PMCID: PMC9106066 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The antibiotic resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae have been steadily increasing in recent years. Nevertheless, the metabolic features of the drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and its associated benefits for bacterial pathogenicity are far from expounded. This study aims to unravel the unique physiological and metabolic properties specific to drug-resistant K. pneumoniae. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we observed a thicker extracellular mucus layer around a drug-resistant K. pneumonia strain (Kp-R) than a drug-sensitive K. pneumonia strain (Kp-S). Kp-R also produced more capsular polysaccharide (CPS) and biofilm, and appeared to have a significant competitive advantage when co-cultured with Kp-S. Moreover, Kp-R was easier to adhere to and invade A549 epithelial cells than Kp-S but caused less cell-viability damage according to cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) tests. Immunofluorescence revealed that both Kp-R and Kp-S infection destroyed the tight junctions and F-actin of epithelial cells, while the damage caused by Kp-S was more severe than Kp-R. We detected the extracellular metabolites secreted by the two strains with UHPLC-Q-TOF MS to explore the critical secretion products. We identified 16 predominant compounds that were differentially expressed. Among them, inosine increased the viability of epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner, and an A2AR antagonist can abolish such enhancement. D-mannose, which was secreted less in Kp-R, inhibited the viability of A549 cells in the range of low doses. These findings provide potential targets and research strategies for preventing and treating drug-resistant K. pneumoniae infections.
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Dong N, Yang X, Chan EWC, Zhang R, Chen S. Klebsiella species: Taxonomy, hypervirulence and multidrug resistance. EBioMedicine 2022; 79:103998. [PMID: 35405387 PMCID: PMC9010751 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Klebsiella have rapidly evolved within the past decade, generating organisms that simultaneously exhibit both multidrug resistance and hypervirulence (MDR-hv) phenotypes; such organisms are associated with severe hospital- and community-acquired infections. Carbapenem-resistant infections with unknown optimal treatment regime were of particular concern among the MDR-hv Klebsiella strains. Recent studies have revealed the molecular features and the mobile resistance elements they harbour, allowing identification of genetic loci responsible for transmission, stable inheritance, and expression of mobile resistance or virulence-encoding elements that confer the new phenotypic characteristics of MDR-hv Klebsiella spp. Here, we provide a comprehensive review on the taxonomic position, species composition and different phylotypes of Klebsiella spp., describing the diversity and worldwide distribution of the MDR-hv clones, the genetic mutation and horizontal gene transfer events that drive the evolution of such clones, and the potential impact of MDR-hv infections on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Dong
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xuemei Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Edward Wai-Chi Chan
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
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Hao J, Zhang B, Deng J, Wei Y, Xiao X, Liu J. Emergence of a Hypervirulent Tigecycline-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain Co-producing blaNDM–1 and blaKPC–2 With an Uncommon Sequence Type ST464 in Southwestern China. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:868705. [PMID: 35572689 PMCID: PMC9100695 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.868705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Emergence of blaNDM–1 and blaKPC–2 co-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains is currently attracting widespread attention, but little information is available about their tigecycline resistance, virulence, and prevalence in Southwest China. In July 2021, an extensively drug-resistant K. pneumoniae strain AHSWKP25 whose genome contained both blaNDM–1 and blaKPC–2 genes was isolated from the blood of a patient with the malignant hematological disease in Luzhou, China. We investigated the resistance profiles of AHSWKP25 using microbroth dilution, agar dilution, modified carbapenemase inactivation (mCIM), and EDTA-modified carbapenemase inactivation methods (eCIM). The virulence of AHSWKP25 was assessed through string tests, serum killing assays, and a Galleria mellonella larval infection model. Conjugation and plasmid stability experiments were conducted to determine the horizontal transfer capacity of plasmids. And efflux pump phenotype test and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) were used to determine its efflux pump activity. Sequencing of AHSWKP25 determined that AHSWKP25 belonged to ST464, which is resistant to antibiotics such as carbapenems, tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, tigecycline, and fosfomycin. The efflux pump phenotype tests and RT-PCR results demonstrated that efflux pumps were overexpressed in the AHSWKP25, which promoted the tigecycline resistance of the bacteria. AHSWKP25 also showed hypervirulence and serum resistance in vitro model. AHSWKP25 carried several different plasmids that contained blaNDM–1, blaKPC–2, and mutated tet(A) genes. Sequence alignment revealed that the plasmids carrying blaNDM–1 and blaKPC–2 underwent recombination and insertion events, respectively. We demonstrated that an X3 plasmid carrying blaNDM–1 was transferred from pSW25NDM1 to E. coli J53. We also identified missense mutations in the ramR, rcsA, lon, and csrD genes of AHSWKP25. Our results highlighted the potential of blaNDM–1 and blaKPC–2 co-producing K. pneumoniae strains to further develop antimicrobial resistance and hypervirulent phenotypes, but measures should be taken to closely monitor and control the spread of superbugs with multidrug-resistant phenotypes and hypervirulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingchen Hao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Bangqin Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jiamin Deng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Yueshuai Wei
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xue Xiao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jinbo Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jinbo Liu,
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Multicenter Genomic Analysis of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae from Bacteremia in China. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0229021. [PMID: 35230130 PMCID: PMC9045280 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02290-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most common Gram-negative bacilli isolated from bloodstream infections worldwide, and recently an increased rate of carbapenem resistance has been reported in this pathogen. This study aims to describe the genomic characteristics of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) isolated from patients with bacteremia in China. We analyzed 147 isolates from patients with bacteremia attended in 12 referral hospitals in China between April 2015 and November 2018. We conducted a phenotypic susceptibility evaluation and whole genome sequence analysis to characterize antimicrobial resistance profile, virulence genes, and dominant clones among CRKP. ST11 accounted for most infections (n = 98, 66.6%), followed by ST45 (n = 12, 8.2%), ST15 and ST290 (n = 8, 5.4% each). KPC (n = 98, 66.7%) and NDM (n = 27, 18.4%) are the main carbapenemases detected in the CRKP isolates. We detected yersiniabactin (n = 123, 83.7%) and aerobactin (49.9%) siderophores, and both rmpA and aerobactin genes in 21 ST11 isolates (21.43%), which are considered characteristic biomarkers of hypervirulent strains. Isolates showed high resistance rates to the β-lactams (>90%) and other antibiotics classes such as fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and tetracyclines (50%), but were susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam (74.8%). In addition, we detected intra-hospital transmission of ST11 and ST45 strains in single and multiple wards in several hospitals, whereas inter-hospital transmission was relatively uncommon. In summary, we observed significantly genomic diversity of CRKP bacteremia isolates in China, although KPC-2 producing ST11 strains were found to be the most common clonal types. Reducing intra-hospital transmission remains to be the key to control CRKP caused bloodstream infections in China. IMPORTANCE K. pneumoniae is one of the most frequent Gram-negative bacilli isolated from bloodstream infections worldwide and recent studies have shown an increased rate of carbapenem resistance in China. Among carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) diverse clones have been reported, especially the high-risk clone ST11, which also exhibited a multidrug resistant phenotype. In addition to the antimicrobial resistance, previous studies have detected strains co-harboring virulent traits, highlighting the potential of transmission of both antimicrobial resistant and virulent strains. Here we studied the antimicrobial resistance profile, virulence genes and hospital transmission of CRKP from bacteremic patients in China. This study showed a high clonal diversity among CRKP, with the predominance of ST11 lineages. We detected virulence markers among multidrug resistant strains, and a high number of genetically similar isolates, suggesting intra-hospital transmission within single and multiple wards. Reducing intra-hospital transmission remains to be the key to control CRKP caused bacteremia in China.
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Nicolò S, Mattiuz G, Antonelli A, Arena F, Di Pilato V, Giani T, Baccani I, Clemente AM, Castronovo G, Tanturli M, Cozzolino F, Rossolini GM, Torcia MG. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Modulate Human Dendritic Cell Functions and Affect TH1/TH17 Response. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020384. [PMID: 35208839 PMCID: PMC8877041 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (Hv-Kp) strains have emerged as pathogens causing life-threatening, invasive disease even in immunocompetent hosts. Systemic dissemination usually occurs following perturbations of the gut microbiota and is facilitated by Hv-Kp resistance to phagocytosis and complement activity. Hv-Kp are usually associated with K1 or K2 capsular types, produce several iron uptake systems (e.g., aerobactin and salmochelin) and are often but not invariably, capsular material hyper-producers (hypermucoviscous phenotype: HMV). Whether Hv-Kp escape the immune response at mucosal site is unknown. In this work, we studied the effects of Hv-Kp on human dendritic cells (DCs), central players of the IL-23/IL-17 and IL-12/IFN-γ axis at mucosal sites, essential for pathogen clearance. Four Hv-Kp and HMV strains were selected and their activity on DC maturation and cytokine production was compared to that of non-virulent Kp strains with classic or HMV phenotypes. While the maturation process was equally induced by all Kp strains, significant differences between virulent and non-virulent strains were found in the expression of genes for cytokines involved in T-cell activation and differentiation. The non-virulent KP04C62 and the classic Kp, KPC157 induced high expression of TH1 (IL-12p70 and TNFα) and TH17 cytokines (IL-23, IL-1β and IL-6), while Hv-Kp poorly activated these cytokine genes. Moreover, conditioned media from DCs cultured with non-virulent Kp, either classical or hypercapsulated, induced the activation of IL-17 and IFN-γ genes in preactivated CD4+-cells suggesting their TH17/TH1 differentiation. Conditioned media from Hv-Kp poorly activated IL-17 and IFN-γ genes. In summary, our data indicate that Hv-Kp interfere with DC functions and T-cell differentiation and suggest that the escape from the IL-23/IL-17 and IL-12/IFN-γ axes may contribute to pathogen dissemination in immunocompetent hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Nicolò
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Giorgio Mattiuz
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Alberto Antonelli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
- Clinical Microbiology and Virology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Fabio Arena
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy;
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, 50143 Florence, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Pilato
- Clinical Microbiology and Virology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy;
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Tommaso Giani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
- Clinical Microbiology and Virology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Ilaria Baccani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
- Clinical Microbiology and Virology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Ann Maria Clemente
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Giuseppe Castronovo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (G.C.); (M.T.); (F.C.)
| | - Michele Tanturli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (G.C.); (M.T.); (F.C.)
| | - Federico Cozzolino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (G.C.); (M.T.); (F.C.)
| | - Gian Maria Rossolini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
- Clinical Microbiology and Virology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Maria Gabriella Torcia
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy; (S.N.); (G.M.); (A.A.); (T.G.); (I.B.); (A.M.C.); (G.M.R.)
- Correspondence:
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Spiga L, Jimenez AG, Santos RL, Winter SE. How microbiological tests reflect bacterial pathogenesis and host adaptation. Braz J Microbiol 2021; 52:1745-1753. [PMID: 34251610 PMCID: PMC8578236 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-021-00571-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, clinical microbiological laboratories have often relied on isolation of pure cultures and phenotypic testing to identify microorganisms. These clinical tests are often based on specific biochemical reactions, growth characteristics, colony morphology, and other physiological aspects. The features used for identification in clinical laboratories are highly conserved and specific for a given group of microbes. We speculate that these features might be the result of evolutionary selection and thus may reflect aspects of the life cycle of the organism and pathogenesis. Indeed, several of the metabolic pathways targeted by diagnostic tests in some cases may represent mechanisms for host colonization or pathogenesis. Examples include, but are not restricted to, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica, Shigella spp., and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC). Here, we provide an overview of how some common tests reflect molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisella Spiga
- Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Angel G Jimenez
- Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Renato L Santos
- Departamento de Clínica E Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Sebastian E Winter
- Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Martin MJ, Corey BW, Sannio F, Hall LR, MacDonald U, Jones BT, Mills EG, Harless C, Stam J, Maybank R, Kwak Y, Schaufler K, Becker K, Hübner NO, Cresti S, Tordini G, Valassina M, Cusi MG, Bennett JW, Russo TA, McGann PT, Lebreton F, Docquier JD. Anatomy of an extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak in Tuscany, Italy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2110227118. [PMID: 34819373 PMCID: PMC8640832 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110227118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A protracted outbreak of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae started in Tuscany, Italy, in November 2018 and continued in 2020 and through 2021. To understand the regional emergence and transmission dynamics over time, we collected and sequenced the genomes of 117 extensively drug-resistant, NDM-producing K. pneumoniae isolates cultured over a 20-mo period from 76 patients at several healthcare facilities in southeast Tuscany. All isolates belonged to high-risk clone ST-147 and were typically nonsusceptible to all first-line antibiotics. Albeit sporadic, resistances to colistin, tigecycline, and fosfomycin were also observed as a result of repeated, independent mutations. Genomic analysis revealed that ST-147 isolates circulating in Tuscany were monophyletic and highly genetically related (including a network of 42 patients from the same hospital and sharing nearly identical isolates), and shared a recent ancestor with clinical isolates from the Middle East. While the blaNDM-1 gene was carried by an IncFIB-type plasmid, our investigations revealed that the ST-147 lineage from Italy also acquired a hybrid IncFIB/IncHIB-type plasmid carrying the 16S methyltransferase armA gene as well as key virulence biomarkers often found in hypervirulent isolates. This plasmid shared extensive homologies with mosaic plasmids circulating globally including from ST-11 and ST-307 convergent lineages. Phenotypically, the carriage of this hybrid plasmid resulted in increased siderophore production but did not confer virulence to the level of an archetypical, hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in a subcutaneous model of infection with immunocompetent CD1 mice. Our findings highlight the importance of performing genomic surveillance to identify emerging threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Martin
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Brendan W Corey
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Filomena Sannio
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Siena I-53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Lindsey R Hall
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Ulrike MacDonald
- Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14215
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203
| | - Brendan T Jones
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Emma G Mills
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Casey Harless
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Jason Stam
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Rosslyn Maybank
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Yoon Kwak
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Katharina Schaufler
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- Institute of Infection Medicine, Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Infection Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Karsten Becker
- Friedrich Loeffler Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Nils-Olaf Hübner
- Central Unit for Infection Prevention and Control, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stefania Cresti
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Siena I-53100 Siena, Italy
- Unita Operativa Complessa di Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, I-53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Giacinta Tordini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Siena I-53100 Siena, Italy
- Unita Operativa Complessa di Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, I-53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Marcello Valassina
- Unita Operativa Complessa di Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, I-53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Cusi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Siena I-53100 Siena, Italy
- Unita Operativa Complessa di Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, I-53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Jason W Bennett
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Thomas A Russo
- Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14215
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203
- The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203
| | - Patrick T McGann
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910
| | - Francois Lebreton
- Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910;
| | - Jean-Denis Docquier
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Siena I-53100 Siena, Italy;
- Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines-InBioS, Université de Liège B-4000 Liège, Belgium
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Xu Q, Yang X, Chan EWC, Chen S. The hypermucoviscosity of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae confers the ability to evade neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis. Virulence 2021; 12:2050-2059. [PMID: 34339346 PMCID: PMC8331041 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1960101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (HvKP), which causes highly fatal infections, is a new threat to human health. In an attempt to investigate the underlying mechanisms of resistance to neutrophil-mediated killing and hence expression of high-level virulence by HvKP, we tested the binding affinity of HvKP strains to various types of human cells. Our data showed that HvKP exhibited weaker binding to both lung epithelial cells, intestinal Caco-2 cells and macrophages when compared to the classic, non-hypervirulent strains (cKP). Consistently, transconjugants that have acquired a rmpA or rmpA2-bearing plasmid were found to exhibit decreased adhesion to various types of human cells, and hence higher survival rate upon exposure to neutrophil cells. We further found that over production of hypermucoviscosity (HMV), but not capsular polysaccharide (CPS), contributed to the reduced binding and phagocytosis. The effect of hypermucoviscosity on enhancing HvKP virulence was further shown in human serum survival assays and animal experiments. Findings in this study therefore confirmed that rmpA/A2-mediated hypermucoviscosity in HvKP plays a key role in the pathogenesis of this organism through conferring the ability to evade neutrophil binding and phagocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Xuemei Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Edward Wai Chi Chan
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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50
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Xu Y, Zhang J, Wang M, Liu M, Liu G, Qu H, Liu J, Deng Z, Sun J, Ou HY, Qu J. Mobilization of the nonconjugative virulence plasmid from hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. Genome Med 2021; 13:119. [PMID: 34294113 PMCID: PMC8299605 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00936-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Klebsiella pneumoniae, as a global priority pathogen, is well known for its capability of acquiring mobile genetic elements that carry resistance and/or virulence genes. Its virulence plasmid, previously deemed nonconjugative and restricted within hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP), has disseminated into classic K. pneumoniae (cKP), particularly carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP), which poses alarming challenges to public health. However, the mechanism underlying its transfer from hvKP to CRKP is unclear. Methods A total of 28 sequence type (ST) 11 bloodstream infection-causing CRKP strains were collected from Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, China, and used as recipients in conjugation assays. Transconjugants obtained from conjugation assays were confirmed by XbaI and S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PCR detection and/or whole-genome sequencing. The plasmid stability of the transconjugants was evaluated by serial culture. Genetically modified strains and constructed mimic virulence plasmids were employed to investigate the mechanisms underlying mobilization. The level of extracellular polysaccharides was measured by mucoviscosity assays and uronic acid quantification. An in silico analysis of 2608 plasmids derived from 814 completely sequenced K. pneumoniae strains available in GenBank was performed to investigate the distribution of putative helper plasmids and mobilizable virulence plasmids. Results A nonconjugative virulence plasmid was mobilized by the conjugative plasmid belonging to incompatibility group F (IncF) from the hvKP strain into ST11 CRKP strains under low extracellular polysaccharide-producing conditions or by employing intermediate E. coli strains. The virulence plasmid was mobilized via four modes: transfer alone, cotransfer with the conjugative IncF plasmid, hybrid plasmid formation due to two rounds of single-strand exchanges at specific 28-bp fusion sites or homologous recombination. According to the in silico analysis, 31.8% (242) of the putative helper plasmids and 98.8% (84/85) of the virulence plasmids carry the 28-bp fusion site. All virulence plasmids carry the origin of the transfer site. Conclusions The nonconjugative virulence plasmid in ST11 CRKP strains is putatively mobilized from hvKP or E. coli intermediates with the help of conjugative IncF plasmids. Our findings emphasize the importance of raising public awareness of the rapid dissemination of virulence plasmids and the consistent emergence of hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (hv-CRKP) strains. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13073-021-00936-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Xu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emergency Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Jianfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Meng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Meng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Guitian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Hongping Qu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Jialin Liu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jingyong Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China. .,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.
| | - Jieming Qu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emergency Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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