Characterisation of Bacteriophage-Encoded Depolymerases Selective for Key <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> Capsular Exopolysaccharides.

ABSTRACT: Capsular polysaccharides enable clinically important clones of Klebsiella pneumoniae to cause severe systemic infections in susceptible hosts. Phage-encoded capsule depolymerases have the potential to provide an alternative treatment paradigm in patients when multiple drug resistance has eroded the efficacy of conventional antibiotic chemotherapy. An investigation of 164 K. pneumoniae from intensive care patients in Thailand revealed a large number of distinct K types in low abundance but four (K2, K51, K1, K10) with a frequency of at least 5%. To identify depolymerases with the capacity to degrade capsules associated with these common K-types, 62 lytic phage were isolated from Thai hospital sewage water using K1, K2 and K51 isolates as hosts; phage plaques, without exception

SUBMITTER: Blundell-Hunter G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8253255 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature