Deciphering shared receptor usage in genomically unrelated bacteriophages infecting hypervirulent <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> K1 ST23.

ABSTRACT: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a critical pathogen often associated with multidrug resistance and hypervirulence. We report the isolation and characterization of three distinct lytic bacteriophages-Spear, Loop, and Shorty-from sewage, using a hypervirulent, hypermucoid K. pneumoniae K1 ST23 strain as the host. Despite genomic and structural differences, all three phages exhibited a narrow host range, infecting only the K1 serotype. Transmission electron microscopy and genomic analyses confirmed their lytic lifestyle and classifications: Spear and Loop are siphovirus-like, while Shorty is podovirus-like. A key focus was phage-host interaction and receptor usage. DNA sequence analysis showed no homology between the receptor-binding proteins, yet structural modelling revealed high sim

SUBMITTER: Selpiev Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12611254 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature