Distribution of mcr-1 Harboring Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in Clinical Specimens and Lytic Activity of Bacteriophage KpnM Against Isolates

Bilal Aslam,1 Muhammad Hussnain Siddique,2 Abu Baker Siddique,1 Muhammad Shafique,1 Saima Muzammil,1 Mohsin Khurshid,1 Muhammad Hidayat Rasool,1 Moeed Ahmad,1 Tamoor Hamid Chaudhry,3 Afreenish Amir,3 Muhammad Salman,3 Zulqarnain Baloch,4 Norah A Alturki,5 Ahmad Alzamami6 1Department of Microbiology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 2Department of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 3Public Health Laboratories Division, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan; 4Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 5Clinical Laboratory Science Department, College of Applied Medical Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 6Clinical Laboratory Science Department, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, AlQuwayiyah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Bilal Aslam, Department of Microbiology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Email drbilalaslam@gcuf.edu.pk Ahmad Alzamami, Clinical Laboratory Science Department, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, AlQuwayiyah, Saudi Arabia, Email aalzamami@su.edu.saBackground: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the multi-drug resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae as one of the critical bacterial pathogens. The dearth of new antibiotics and inadequate therapeutic options necessitate finding alternative options. Bacteriophages are known as enemies of bacteria and are well-recognized to fight MDR pathogens.Methods: A total of 150 samples were collected from different clinical specimens through a convenient sampling technique. Isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) of K. pneumoniae were done by standard and validated microbiological procedures. Molecular identification of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was carried out th