Genomic insights into Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence, resistance, and transmission in South and Southeast Asia

作者：Hinthong W, Phelan J, Hussain A, Mazumder R, Azra, Haq IU, Ullah I, Roberts T, Thawong N, Billows N, Campino S, Khan TA, Mondal D, Clark TG · 发表于：International journal of medical microbiology : IJMM · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.ijmm.2025.151666 · 研究领域：Klebsiella pneumoniae、Klebsiella Infections、Genome, Bacterial、Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial、Humans、Virulence Factors、Virulence、Plasmids、Asia, Southeastern、Multilocus Sequence Typing、Anti-Bacterial Agents、Genomics

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae has long posed a significant challenge in clinical settings worldwide, particularly due to its carbapenemase production and multidrug-resistant (MDR) characteristics. While extensive genomic studies of K. pneumoniae have been conducted globally, research in Asia, particularly South Asia, remains limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to address and compare the genomic characteristics of K. pneumoniae isolates from South Asia and Southeast Asia, including virulence, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), plasmids, and mobile genetic elements (MGE) profiles, as well as potential transmission dynamics. METHODS: A total of 463 K. pneumoniae genomes were included from collected samples and public databases. All genomes underwent comprehensive analysis, including pan-genome profiling, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), annotation of virulence factors, AMR genes, plasmids, and MGEs, as well as SNP distance-based analysis to infer transmission dynamics, using established bioinformatic tools. RESULTS: K. pneumoniae isolates exhibited diverse virulence determinants. Hypervirulent isolates were primarily associated with ST23 and ST86, and commonly harbour aerobactin, salmochelin, and rmpA. The majority of isolates were predicted to be MDR, with those from Southeast Asia showing a higher relative abundance of AMR genes associated with the antibiotic classes examined in this study. Among all isolates, the predominant carbapenemase-associated gene was blaNDM-1....