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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry
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Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy reliably differentiates Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak isolates

Miriam Cordovana1, Markus Kostrzewa1, Jürgen A Bohnert2

  • 1Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen, Germany.

Journal of Microbiological Methods
|December 6, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy rapidly identified clonal Klebsiella pneumoniae strains during a German outbreak. This method aids early detection of multidrug-resistant bacterial cross-transmission, enhancing infection control efforts.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Multidrug-resistant (MDR) high-risk clonal Klebsiella pneumoniae lineages cause frequent outbreaks, posing significant public health challenges.
  • Effective tracking and containment of these outbreaks are crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as a rapid typing tool for MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.
  • To assess the concordance of FTIR-based typing with established genotypic and phenotypic methods during a 2019 outbreak in North-Eastern Germany.

Main Methods:

  • FTIR spectra were acquired from 53 characterized MDR K. pneumoniae isolates.
  • Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used for exploratory data analysis of the spectral data.

Main Results:

  • FTIR spectroscopy revealed six distinct clusters with high concordance to K locus typing (AR: 100%), sequence type (AR: 99.1%), and O locus (AR: 90.6%).
  • All MDR outbreak isolates clustered together, demonstrating strong spectral similarity and confirming their clonal relatedness.

Conclusions:

  • FTIR spectroscopy is a valuable tool for rapid, first-line screening of clonally related K. pneumoniae strains.
  • This method can support early detection of cross-transmission events in clinical settings, aiding infection control.
Keywords:
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopyKlebsiella pneumoniaeOutbreak

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