1. Kpi, a chaperone-usher pili system associated with the worldwide-disseminated high-risk clone Klebsiella pneumoniae ST-15.
- Author
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Gato E, Vázquez-Ucha JC, Rumbo-Feal S, Álvarez-Fraga L, Vallejo JA, Martínez-Guitián M, Beceiro A, Ramos Vivas J, Sola Campoy PJ, Pérez-Vázquez M, Oteo Iglesias J, Rodiño-Janeiro BK, Romero A, Poza M, Bou G, and Pérez A
- Subjects
- A549 Cells, Animals, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Bacterial Adhesion drug effects, Bacterial Adhesion genetics, Biofilms drug effects, Biofilms growth & development, Carbapenems pharmacology, Cell Line, Disease Models, Animal, Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial genetics, Epithelial Cells microbiology, Europe, Female, Gene Deletion, Genes, Bacterial genetics, Humans, Klebsiella Infections, Klebsiella pneumoniae cytology, Klebsiella pneumoniae drug effects, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Multilocus Sequence Typing, Operon, Phylogeny, Fimbriae, Bacterial genetics, Klebsiella pneumoniae genetics, Molecular Chaperones genetics
- Abstract
Control of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae continues to be challenging. The success of this pathogen is favored by its ability to acquire antimicrobial resistance and to spread and persist in both the environment and in humans. The emergence of clinically important clones, such as sequence types 11, 15, 101, and 258, has been reported worldwide. However, the mechanisms promoting the dissemination of such high-risk clones are unknown. Unraveling the factors that play a role in the pathobiology and epidemicity of K. pneumoniae is therefore important for managing infections. To address this issue, we studied a carbapenem-resistant ST-15 K. pneumoniae isolate (Kp3380) that displayed a remarkable adherent phenotype with abundant pilus-like structures. Genome sequencing enabled us to identify a chaperone-usher pili system (Kpi) in Kp3380. Analysis of a large K. pneumoniae population from 32 European countries showed that the Kpi system is associated with the ST-15 clone. Phylogenetic analysis of the operon revealed that Kpi belongs to the little-characterized γ
2 -fimbrial clade. We demonstrate that Kpi contributes positively to the ability of K. pneumoniae to form biofilms and adhere to different host tissues. Moreover, the in vivo intestinal colonizing capacity of the Kpi-defective mutant was significantly reduced, as was its ability to infect Galleria mellonella The findings provide information about the pathobiology and epidemicity of Kpi+ K. pneumoniae and indicate that the presence of Kpi may explain the success of the ST-15 clone. Disrupting bacterial adherence to the intestinal surface could potentially target gastrointestinal colonization., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)- Published
- 2020
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