ArticleInternational microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology2026
Comparative profiling of virulence determinants, capsular serotypes, and antimicrobial resistance in hypervirulent and classical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from liver abscess patients.
Article in International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study aimed to compare the virulence and resistance gene profiles, capsular serotypes, and molecular epidemiology of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) and classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKP) strains isolated from patients with liver abscesses in China, and to evaluate their phenotypic virulence using in vitro and in vivo models.
methodsA total of 83 non-repetitive K. pneumoniae strains were collected from liver abscess patients between January 2023 and December 2024. Strains positive for the string test and harboring both rmpA and iutA genes were classified as hvKP (n = 47), while the others were designated as cKP (n = 36). PCR was used to detect virulence genes (rmpA, iutA, aerobactin, magA, wcaG, kfu, fimH, mrkD, allS, iroB, ybtS, entB, peg-344, uge), capsular serotypes (K1, K2, K5, K20, K54, K57), and resistance genes (KPC, NDM, TEM, CTX-M-1). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to determine sequence types. Virulence was further assessed through serum resistance assays, biofilm formation tests, and a Galleria mellonella infection model.
resultsThe hvKP group showed significantly higher carriage rates of nine virulence genes (rmpA, iutA, aerobactin, magA, wcaG, kfu, allS, peg-344, iroB) compared to cKP (all P < 0.05), while fimH and mrkD were universally present. K1 was the predominant serotype in hvKP (63.8%), and magA and allS were exclusively detected in K1 strains. Serotypes K1 and K20 were significantly more frequent in hvKP than in cKP. MLST revealed that hvKP isolates belonged to eight STs, mainly ST23 and ST65, with all K1 strains corresponding to ST23. In contrast, cKP displayed greater ST diversity (17 STs). Resistance genes KPC, NDM, and CTX-M-1 were less prevalent in hvKP, and KPC was detected exclusively in cKP (16.7% vs. 0%, P < 0.05). Serum resistance was significantly stronger in hvKP than in cKP (P < 0.05), whereas biofilm formation did not differ significantly between groups. In the G. mellonella model, hvKP caused significantly higher mortality at inocula of 105, 106, and 107 CFU/mL (P < 0.05).
conclusionHvKP isolates from liver abscesses in this region are characterized by a distinct molecular profile, including a high prevalence of K1/ST23 clones and key virulence genes. Although hvKP remains largely susceptible to carbapenems, the detection of CTX-M-1 in one hvKP strain signals potential convergence of virulence and resistance. These findings support the use of combined molecular and phenotypic assays for the timely identification of hvKP and underscore the need for ongoing surveillance to monitor the evolution of high-risk clones.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.