The ZKIR Assay, a Real-Time PCR Method for the Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Closely Related Species in Environmental Samples.

ABSTRACT: Klebsiella pneumoniae is of growing public health concern due to the emergence of strains that are multidrug resistant, virulent, or both. Taxonomically, the K. pneumoniae complex ("Kp") includes seven phylogroups, with Kp1 (K. pneumoniaesensu stricto) being medically prominent. Kp can be present in environmental sources such as soils and vegetation, which could act as reservoirs of animal and human infections. However, the current lack of screening methods to detect Kp in complex matrices limits research on Kp ecology. Here, we analyzed 1,001 genome sequences and found that existing molecular detection targets lack specificity for Kp. A novel real-time PCR method, the ZKIR (zur-khe intergenic region) assay, was developed and used to detect Kp in 96 envir

SUBMITTER: Barbier E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7082575 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature