ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
This article is part of the Research TopicAntibiotic Resistance, Tolerance, and Persistence in Healthcare-Associated Bacterial Pathogens: Mechanisms, Evolution, and Clinical OpportunitiesView all articles
Clinical phenotype and molecular characteristics of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae causing multi-site infection
Provisionally accepted
- 1Immunology,gut microbiome,clinical disease, Taian, China
- 2Taian City Central Hospital, Tai'an, China
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Objective: To analyze the clinical phenotype and molecular characteristics of three Carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKp) strains isolated from different sites of the same patient, providing an experimental basis for clinical anti-infection treatment and nosocomial infection prevention and control. Methods: The collected strains were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using an automatic drug sensitivity analyzer. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to analyze the presence of resistance and virulence genes and to determine the classification and homology of the three strains. Results: The three K. pneumoniae strains were classified as ST11/K47/O13. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that all strains carried the KPC-type carbapenemase gene, and the high-virulence genes, rmpA2, iroB and iutA, along with three plasmids. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that all strains were resistant to carbapenems, including imipenem and meropenem. Conclusion: The three clinically isolated K. pneumoniae strains were highly virulent and carbapenem-resistant, all carrying the KPC resistance gene. They caused multi-site infections through hematogenous dissemination. These findings highlight the need for heightened clinical vigilance and strengthened monitoring, prevention, and control of drug-resistant infections.
Keywords: carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, Drug resistance genes, hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, Multiple site infection, virulence genes
Received: 03 Feb 2026; Accepted: 04 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Lun, Liu, Su and Jiang. 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: Hengzhong Lun
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