Assessment of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Using Multilocus Sequence Typing in West of Iran
Mohammad Hossein Haddadi1, Nourkhoda Sadeghifard1, Saeed Khoshnood1
1Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
Background:
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia (hvKP) has been considered due to severe infections such as pyogenic liver abscess, pneumonia, meningitis, endophthalmitis and necrotizing fasciitis. Due to the importance of the subject, hvKP isolates were investigated in the current study.
Methods:
A total of 52 non-repetitive Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) isolates were collected from clinical specimens (pleural fluid, blood, urine and trachal aspiration) of hospitalized patients in three well-known hospitals in Ilam, west of Iran. Phenotypic tests, including the string test and potassium tellurite resistance, and molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for iucA, iroB, iutA, and rmpA genes were used for hvKP diagnosis. In addition, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to clarify the genetic relationships between isolates.
Results:
The mrkD, iroB, iucA, iutA, and rmpA genes were present in 6 (11.53%), 4 (7.7%), 12 (23.1%), 5 (9.6%), and 8 (15.4%) of the K. pneumoniae isolates, respectively. Eight isolates from different sources were identified with new sequence types (STs). These newly identified STs include ST-7466, ST-7467, ST-7468, ST-7469, ST-7470, ST-7471, ST-7472 and ST-7473.
Conclusions:
We reported the eight new STs based on the MLST method for the phylogenetics of hvKP isolates. Our data indicated that no correlation between the phylogenetics of hvKP isolates. So, more extensive studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology of hvKP.
Insights
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) infections are severe. This study identified eight new sequence types (STs) in hvKP isolates from Iran, contributing to understanding hvKP epidemiology.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Genetics
Background:
- Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) causes severe infections like liver abscesses and pneumonia.
- Investigating hvKP is crucial due to its clinical significance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) isolates.
- To characterize the genetic relationships of hvKP isolates using multilocus sequence typing (MLST).
Main Methods:
- Collected 52 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from clinical specimens in Ilam, Iran.
- Utilized phenotypic tests (string test, potassium tellurite resistance) and PCR for virulence genes (iucA, iroB, iutA, rmpA).
- Employed multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to determine isolate genetic relationships.
Main Results:
- Identified the presence of virulence genes: mrkD (11.53%), iroB (7.7%), iucA (23.1%), iutA (9.6%), and rmpA (15.4%).
- Discovered eight novel sequence types (STs) among the K. pneumoniae isolates: ST-7466 to ST-7473.
- Reported these new STs based on MLST analysis for hvKP phylogenetics.
Conclusions:
- Reported eight new STs for hvKP isolates using MLST.
- Found no correlation between hvKP isolate phylogenetics and virulence.
- Emphasized the need for further extensive studies to understand hvKP epidemiology.
