Molecular epidemiology and clinical features of <i>Klebsiella variicola</i> bloodstream infection compared with infection with other <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> species complex strains
<i>Klebsiella variicola</i> is increasingly recognized as an emerging pathogen commonly found in the environment and human gut. However, its clinical and microbiological characteristics remain poorly understood. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of <i>K. variicola</i> bloodstream infections (BSIs), comparing clinical and genetic features with the closely related <i>K. pneumoniae</i>. We identified significant differences in the prevalence of virulence genes between the two species. Notably, we observed <i>K. variicola</i> causing disseminated liver abscesses, similar to hypervirulent <i>K. pneumoniae</i> strains. These findings have important implications for accurate species identification, informing treatment strategies, and improving patient outcomes in the face of this emerging infectious threat.
Authors
- Momoko Anzai
- Hiromu Takemura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5086-2800)
- Mitsuhiro Yamada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0832-1939)
- Hiroyuki Kunishima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1992-5866)
- Hiroaki Takeuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4829-6771)
- Haruaki Wakatake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4468-9810)
- Kohji Komori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9659-3186)
- Ayu Minoura
- Tadatomo Oyanagi
- Sohei Harada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3073-6564)
- Miki Kurosawa
- Shin Kaneko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2291-4586)
- Akiko Kuhara
- Hiroki Saito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6477-8204)
- Tomoyoshi Ohno
- Rimi Tanii (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4783-7161)
- Yosuke Tanaka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3290-2848)
- Minoru Kanazawa
- Y. Tsutsui
- Uiri Ohki
Institutions
- Toho University (JP)
- Jichi Medical University (JP)
- St. Marianna University School of Medicine (JP)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Yokohama City Seibu Hospital (JP)
- Jichi Medical University Saitama Medical Center (JP)
- International University of Health and Welfare (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Microbiology Spectrum
- Published
- 2025-04-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03017-24
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.36
Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science