Project description:The emergence and spread of polymyxin resistance, especially among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates threaten the effective management of infections. This study profiled for polymyxin resistance mechanisms and investigated the activity of polymyxins plus vancomycin against carbapenem- and polymyxin-resistant K. pneumoniae.
Project description:Antibiotic use can lead to expansion of multi-drug resistant pathobionts within the gut microbiome that can cause life-threatening infections. Selective alternatives to conventional antibiotics are in dire need. Here, we describe a Klebsiella PhageBank that enables the rapid design of antimicrobial bacteriophage cocktails to treat multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Using a transposon library in carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae, we identified host factors required for phage infection in major Klebsiella phage families. Leveraging the diversity of the PhageBank and experimental evolution strategies, we formulated combinations of phages that minimize the occurrence of phage resistance in vitro. Optimized bacteriophage cocktails selectively suppressed the burden of multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae in the mouse gut microbiome and drove bacterial populations to lose key virulence factors that act as phage receptors. Further, phage-mediated diversification of bacterial populations in the gut enabled co-evolution of phage variants with higher virulence and a broader host range. Altogether, the Klebsiella PhageBank represents a roadmap for both phage researchers and clinicians to enable phage therapy against a critical multidrug-resistant human pathogen.
Project description:The study aimed to characterize plasmids mediating carbepenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae in Pretoria, South Africa. We analysed 56 K. pneumoniae isolates collected from academic hospital around Pretoria. Based on phenotypic and molecular results of these isolates, 6 representative isolates were chosen for further analysis using long reads sequencing platform. We observed multidrug resistant phenotype in all these isolates, including resistance to aminoglycosides, tetracycline, phenicol, fosfomycin, floroquinolones, and beta-lactams antibiotics. The blaOXA-48/181 and blaNDM-1/7 were manily the plasmid-mediated carbapenemases responsible for carbapenem resistance in the K. pneumoniae isolates in these academic hospitals. These carbapenemase genes were mainly associated with plasmid replicon groups IncF, IncL/M, IncA/C, and IncX3. This study showed plasmid-mediated carbapenemase spread of blaOXA and blaNDM genes mediated by conjugative plasmids in Pretoria hospitals.
Project description:Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important human pathogen, causing various infections. Apart from traditional virulence factors, there remains a significant gap in the discovery and research of new chromosomal virulence factors. CpxR is a two-component system (TCS) response regulator, but its impact on the virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae have not been conclusively determined. For the effect of CpxR on K. pneumoniae virulence, the cpxR deletion(ΔcpxR) strain exhibited reduced serum resistance and attenuated pathogenicity in both Galleria mellonella larvae and mouse infection models compared to the wild-type strain. To identify CpxR-regulated virulence genes, RNA-seq analysis was conducted, followed by deletion of transcription downregulated genes in the ΔcpxR strain. Through serum resistance assays and Galleria mellonella infection experiments, a novel potential virulence factor, KPHS_28080, was identified. Deletion of KPHS_28080 impaired serum survival and proliferation in carbapenem-resistant strains HS11286 and hypervirulent strain ATCC 43816. Furthermore, the ATCC 43816 ΔKPHS_28080 strain showed significantly reduced colonization, proliferation, and multi-organ dissemination capacity in mice, accompanied by diminished pathogenicity. The KPHS_28080 promoter contains a conserved CpxR binding motif, where CpxR binding enhances promoter activity and elevates gene transcription. Sequence alignment revealed that KPHS_28080 is widely conserved across Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, establishing it as a novel chromosome-encoded virulence factor. These results provide a new insight into the CpxR regulation of K. pneumoniae virulence and chromosomal virulence factors.
Project description:Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises from complex genetic and regulatory changes, including single mutations, gene acquisitions or cumulative effects. Advancements in genomics and proteomics facilitate more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind antimicrobial resistance. In this study, 74 clinically obtained Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates with increased meropenem and/or imipenem MICs were characterized by broth microdilution and PCR to check for the presence of carbapenemase genes. Subsequently, a representative subset of 15 isolates was selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) by Illumina and Nanopore sequencing, and proteomic analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the mechanisms underlying the differences in carbapenem susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Identical techniques were applied to characterize 4 mutants obtained after sequential meropenem exposure. We demonstrated that in clinically obtained isolates, increased copy numbers of blaOXA-48 containing plasmids, combined with OmpK36 loss, contributed to high carbapenem MICs without involvement of OmpK35 or other porins or efflux systems. In the meropenem exposed mutants, increased copy numbers of blaCTX-M-15 or blaOXA-48 containing plasmids, combined with OmpK36 loss was demonstrated. The OmpK36 loss resulted from the insertion of IS1 transposable elements or partial deletion of the ompK36 gene. Additionally, we identified two mutations, C59A and C58A, in the DNA coding the copA antisense RNA of IncFII plasmids and multiple mutations of an IncR plasmid, associated with increased plasmid copy numbers. This study demonstrates that by combining WGS and LC-MS/MS, the effect of genomic changes on protein expression related to antibiotic resistance and the mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance can be elucidated.
Project description:The Antibiotic Resistant Sepsis Pathogens Framework Initiative aims to develop a framework dataset of 5 sepsis pathogens (5 strains each) using an integrated application of genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic technologies. The pathogens included in this initiative are: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae complex, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. This submission pertains to strain KPC2.
