Project description:Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-KP) poses a significant global health threat, associated with high morbidity and mortality rates among hospitalized patients. The interaction between MDR-KP and its host is highly complex. Here, we explored these interactions in a mouse model of pneumonia using dual RNA-seq analysis.Our results revealed that, compared to the low-dose group, the high-dose group significantly upregulated hypoxia and pro-inflammatory cytokine-related genes in the host, and siderophore-related genes in the bacteria. Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant association between siderophore-related genes and clusters of genes related to pro-inflammatory cytokines and hypoxia.
Project description:The inappropriate use of antibiotics is a severe public health problem worldwide, contributing to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. To explore the possible impacts of the inappropriate use of antibiotics on the immune system, we use Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) infection as an example and show that imipenem increases the mortality of mice infected by MDR K. pneumoniae. Further studies demonstrate that imipenem enhances the secretion of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) with significantly elevated presentation of GroEL, which promotes the phagocytosis of OMVs by macrophages that depends on the interaction between GroEL and its receptor LOX-1. OMVs cause the pyroptosis of macrophages and the release of proinflammatory cytokines, which contribute to exacerbated inflammatory responses. We propose that the inappropriate use of antibiotics in the cases of infection by MDR bacteria such as K. pneumoniae might cause damaging inflammatory responses, which underlines the pernicious effects of inappropriate use of antibiotic.
Project description:The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae represents a major public health concern, primarily driven by its ability to evade a wide range of antibiotics. Despite extensive genomic studies, proteomic insights into antibiotic resistance mechanisms remain scarce. Here, we employed a data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based quantitative proteomics approach to investigate proteomic differences between 87 MDR and 20 antibiotic-sensitive K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. A total of 3,380 proteins were identified, with 896 showing significant differential expression. MDR isolates exhibited increased expression of efflux pumps, beta-lactamases, and transcriptional regulators, while proteins associated with glycerolipid metabolism and transport were enriched in sensitive strains. To validate our findings, an independent cohort of 10 MDR and 11 sensitive isolates was analyzed. Key biomarkers identified in the discovery cohort, including pyruvate decarboxylase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, were validated with high discriminatory power (AUC > 0.85) in the validation cohort. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and identify promising biomarkers for diagnosing MDR K. pneumoniae, offering potential avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Project description:Klebsiella pneumoniae is a human gut communal organism and notorious opportunistic pathogen. The relative high burden of asymptomatic colonization by K. pneumoniae is often compounded by multidrug resistance-a potential problem for individuals with significant comorbidities or other risk factors for infection. A carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae strain classified as multilocus sequence type 258 (ST258) is widespread in the United States and can be resistant to many classes of clinically useful antibiotics. Thus, treatment of ST258 infections is often difficult. Inasmuch as new preventive and/or therapeutic measures are needed for treatment of such infections, we developed an ST258 pneumonia model in cynomolgus macaques and tested the ability of an ST258 capsule polysaccharide type 2 (CPS2) vaccine to moderate disease severity. Compared with sham-vaccinated animals, those vaccinated with ST258 CPS2 had significantly less disease as assessed by radiograph 24 h after intrabronchial installation of 108 CFUs of ST258. All macaques vaccinated with CPS2 ultimately developed ST258-specific antibodies that significantly enhanced serum bactericidal activity and killing of ST258 by macaque neutrophils ex vivo. Consistent with a protective immune response to CPS2, transcripts encoding inflammatory mediators were increased in infected lung tissues obtained from CPS-vaccinated animals compared with control, sham-vaccinated macaques. Taken together, our data provide support to the idea that vaccination with ST258 CPS can be used to prevent or moderate infections caused by ST258. As with studies performed decades earlier, we propose that this approach can be extended to include multiple capsule types