1
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Arcari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pinpimai K, Banlunara W, Roe WD, Dittmer K, Biggs PJ, Tantilertcharoen R, Chankow K, Bunpapong N, Boonkam P, Pirarat N. Genetic characterization of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae responsible for acute death in captive marmosets. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:940912. [PMID: 36016808 PMCID: PMC9397405 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.940912] [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: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium implicated as the causative pathogen in several medical health issues with different strains causing different pathologies including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, meningitis and infections from wounds or surgery. In this study, four captive African marmosets housed in Thailand were found dead. Necropsy and histology revealed congestion of hearts, kidneys and adrenal glands. Twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from these four animals with all isolates yielding identical phenotypes indicative of K. pneumoniae based on classical identification schema. All the isolates show the susceptibility to amikacin, cephalexin, doxycycline, gentamicin, and enrofloxacin with intermediate susceptibility to amoxycillin/clavulanic acid. One isolate (20P167W) was chosen for genome analysis and determined to belong to sequence type 65 (ST65). The genome of 20P167W possessed multiple virulence genes including mrk gene cluster and iro and iuc gene cluster (salmochelin and aerobactin, respectively) as well as multiple antibiotic resistance genes including bla SHV-67, bla SHV-11, oqxA, oqxB, and fosA genes resembling those found in human isolates; this isolate has a close genetic relationship with isolates from humans in Ireland, but not from Thailand and California sea lions. Phylogenetic studies using SNP show that there was no relation between genetic and geographic distributions of all known strains typing ST65, suggesting that ST65 strains may spread worldwide through multiple international transmission events rather than by local expansions in humans and/or animals. We also predict that K. pneumoniae ST65 has an ability to acquire genetic mobile element from other bacteria, which would allow Klebsiella to become an even greater public health concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Komkiew Pinpimai
- Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wijit Banlunara
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wendi D. Roe
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Keren Dittmer
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Patrick J. Biggs
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Rachod Tantilertcharoen
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Katriya Chankow
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Napawan Bunpapong
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases in Animals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Pongthai Boonkam
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nopadon Pirarat
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Wildlife Exotic and Aquatic Pathology Research Unit (WEAP RU), Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKp) is an evolving pathotype that is more virulent than classical K. pneumoniae (cKp). hvKp usually infects individuals from the community, who are often healthy. Infections are more common in the Asian Pacific Rim but are occurring globally. hvKp infection frequently presents at multiple sites or subsequently metastatically spreads, often requiring source control. hvKp has an increased ability to cause central nervous system infection and endophthalmitis, which require rapid recognition and site-specific treatment. The genetic factors that confer hvKp's hypervirulent phenotype are present on a large virulence plasmid and perhaps integrative conjugal elements. Increased capsule production and aerobactin production are established hvKp-specific virulence factors. Similar to cKp, hvKp strains are becoming increasingly resistant to antimicrobials via acquisition of mobile elements carrying resistance determinants, and new hvKp strains emerge when extensively drug-resistant cKp strains acquire hvKp-specific virulence determinants, resulting in nosocomial infection. Presently, clinical laboratories are unable to differentiate cKp from hvKp, but recently, several biomarkers and quantitative siderophore production have been shown to accurately predict hvKp strains, which could lead to the development of a diagnostic test for use by clinical laboratories for optimal patient care and for use in epidemiologic surveillance and research studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Russo
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
- The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
- The Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Candace M Marr
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
- Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|