Emergence of ST11-K47 and ST11-K64 hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in bacterial liver abscesses from China: a molecular, biological, and epidemiological study. Issue 1 (1st January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Qiwen; Jia, Xinmiao; Zhou, Menglan; Zhang, Hui; Yang, Wenhang; Kudinha, Timothy; Xu, Yingchun
• Is Part Of: Emerging microbes & infections. Volume 9:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 320
• Page End: 331
• Publication Date: 2020-01-01
• Subjects: Hypervirulent -- carbapenem-resistant -- Klebsiella pneumoniae -- bacterial liver abscesses; Medical microbiology -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Infection -- Periodicals; 616.9041
• DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1721334
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2222-1751

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background: Multidrug-resistant bacteria, especially those with high virulence, are an emerging problem in clinical settings. Methods: We conducted a multicentre epidemiological and comparative genomic analysis on the evolution, virulence and antimicrobial resistance of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in patients with bacterial liver abscesses from 2012 to 2016. Results: A total of 477 bacterial isolates were collected. Enterobacteriaceae were the main pathogen (89.3%) with K. pneumoniae (52.4%) predominating followed by Escherichia coli (26.8%). All CRKps (3.2%) were of sequence type (ST) 11 and serotypes K47 or K64, and simultaneously possessed acquired bla KPC-2 / bla KPC-5 and bla CTX-M-65 together with the multidrug transporter EmrE. Seven Hv-CRKps (five ST11-K47, two ST11-K64) were confirmed by bacteriological test, neutrophil killing assay and Galleria mellonella infection model. Genomic analysis indicated that the emergence of one ST11-K64 Hv-CRKp strain was related to the acquisition of rmpA/rmpA2 genes and siderophore gene clusters, while ST11-K47 Hv-CRKp lacked these traditional virulence genes. Further complete genome analysis of one ST11-K47 Hv-CRKp strain, R16, showed that it acquired a rare plasmid (pR16-Hv-CRKp1) carrying bla KPC-2, bla SHV-12, bla TEM-1, bla CTX-M-65, rmtB and a predicted virulence gene R16_5486 simultaneously. Conclusion: The emergence of the ST11-K47/K64 Hv-CRKps, which are simultaneously multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent, requires urgent control measures to be implemented.