Molecular and mechanistic insights into the gut-liver axis in K. pneumoniae infections: current advances and future directions

作者：Deng J, Cheng L, Liu J, Zeng Z · 发表于：Infection and immunity · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1128/iai.00477-25 · 被引用次数：119 · 研究领域：Liver、Klebsiella pneumoniae、Klebsiella Infections、Host-Pathogen Interactions、Humans、Animals、Intestinal Barrier Function、Virulence Factors、Bacterial Translocation

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen in clinical settings, primarily causing opportunistic infections in hospitals. The prevalence of liver abscess cases caused by hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP) has significantly increased in recent years, renewing interest in the interaction between this bacterium and the gut-liver axis. Research has shown that K. pneumoniae disrupts intestinal barrier integrity by adhering to and producing virulence factors, leading to bacterial translocation to vital organs such as the liver. This activation of inflammatory signaling pathways triggers systemic infection, exacerbating liver damage and systemic inflammation. The current research still faces key challenges: the molecular mechanism of bacteria crossing the intestinal barrier to reach the liver is not yet clear, the dynamic regulatory network of the gut-liver axis during infection lacks systematic analysis, and insufficient clinical research data limit a comprehensive understanding of its pathogenic mechanism. This review systematically organizes the latest research progress on the interaction between K. pneumoniae infection and the gut-liver axis, with a focus on the breakdown of the intestinal barrier mediated by virulence factors, mechanisms of bacterial translocation, and the collaborative regulatory network of immune cells (such as macrophages and neutrophils) and inflammatory pathways in the gut-liver axis. By analyzing the immune evasion strategies of hvKP...