Abstract:

Recently,hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae has emerged as a concerning pathogen. In contrast to nosocomial infections in immuno-compromised patients with classic Klebsiella pneumoniae,hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae usually causes community acquired infections in healthy individuals and is prone to metastasize to distant sites,including most commonly the eye,lung and central nervous system,and often requiring source control. The genetic determinants of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae are often found on large virulence plasmids as well as chromosomal mobile genetic elements which can be used as biomarkers to distinguish hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae from common Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates. These distinct virulence determinants of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae include up to 4 siderophore systems for iron acquisition,increased capsule production,K1 and K2 capsule types and colibactin toxin. Alarmingly,multidrug-resistant hypervirulent isolates have emerged,creating a new challenge in combating this already dangerous pathogen. In order to better understand hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae,the characteristics,epidemiology,virulence related factors and drug resistance with hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae will be introduced in detail.

Key words: Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, Identification, Epidemiology, Virulence factor, Drug resistance