ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1619621
This article is part of the Research TopicBreaking the Biofilm Barrier: Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Biofilm Formation and Identification of Novel Antimicrobial ApproachesView all 8 articles
Genomic Epidemiology and Anti-Biofilm Mechanisms of Lactobacillus in ST11 Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Nephropathy and Rheumatology, Beihua University Hospital, Jilin, China
- 2Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University, Department of Science and Education，Jilin, China, jilin, China
- 3Beihua University, The School of Basic Medicine, Jilin, China, jilin, China
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The ST11 clone of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has emerged as a major public health threat, driving hospital outbreaks across China and leading to chronic infections through biofilm formation, while the scarcity of effective treatment options poses a critical challenge to clinical management. To address this pressing issue, we conducted an integrated genomic epidemiological and metabolomic study of ST11 CRKP isolates collected from 13 hospitals in eastern and central China between 2014 and 2020. Among 2,805 clinical isolates, 334 ST11 strains were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and whole-genome sequencing, revealing alarming resistance rates exceeding 90% to β -lactams, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. Systematic genomic analysis uncovered distinct regional distribution patterns of capsular types, with K64 predominant in the east and K47 more common in central China. Biofilm assays demonstrated that 97.6% (326/334) of the strains exhibited biofilm-forming capacity, while co-culture with Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus gasseri significantly inhibited biofilm formation, reducing biomass by 41.3% -58.7% (P < 0.001).Scanning electron microscopy confirmed structural disruption of biofilms in co-cultured groups. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis further revealed strain-specific anti-biofilm mechanisms: Lactobacillus fermentum targeted purine biosynthesis and aminoacyl-tRNA metabolism, while Lactobacillus gasseri disrupted folic acid synthesis (FDR = 0.017) and the phosphotransferase system. This study innovatively combines clonal transmission patterns with targeted metabolic vulnerabilities, offering transformative insights for probiotic-assisted therapies and plasmid-targeted strategies in the fight against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
Keywords: ST11 Klebsiella pneumoniae, Biofilm, Lactobacillus, Probiotics, Metabolomics, multidrug resistance
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, 张, 张, Ma, Zheng, Zhou, Hou, Li and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: 铎 张, Beihua University, The School of Basic Medicine, Jilin, China, jilin, China
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