Diversity of mucoid to non-mucoid switch among carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of intractable hospital-acquired multidrug-resistant infections and carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CPKp) are particularly feared. Most of the clinical isolates produce capsule as a major virulence factor. Recombination events at the capsule locus are frequent and responsible for capsule diversity within Klebsiella spp. Capsule diversity may also occur within clonal bacterial populations generating differences in colony aspect. However, little is known about this phenomenon of phenotypic variation in CPKp and its consequences.

Results

Here, we explored the genetic causes of in vitro switching from capsulated, mucoid to non-mucoid, non-capsulated phenotype in eight clinical CPKp isolates. We compared capsulated, mucoi

SUBMITTER: Chiarelli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7590720 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature