A Nationwide Screen of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae reveals an isolate with enhanced virulence and clinically undetected colistin-heteroresistance [Epidemiology and Surveillance]

The convergence of hypervirulence and multidrug-resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae is a significant concern. We report the first screen for hypermucoviscosity, a trait associated with increased virulence, using a US surveillance collection of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae. We identified one hypermucoviscous isolate, encoding the KPC-3 carbapenemase among numerous resistance genes. The strain further exhibited colistin heteroresistance undetected by diagnostics. This convergence of diverse resistance mechanisms and increased virulence underscores the need for enhanced K. pneumoniae surveillance.

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