Advances in carbapenem resistance and hypervirulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Antibiotic resistance has been a growing threat to public health, and carbapenem-resistance Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are among the most dangerous resistant organisms with increasing frequency reported world-wide. Among this class of bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae, a Gram-negative commensal bacterium and opportunistic pathogen, often found on the surface of the human body, nasopharynx and intestines, of which the intestine is a common site of colonization of the bacteria. Most of the carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) have contributed to the emergence of multidrug-resistance strains, thus the patients’ treatment options have been seriously limited. What makes the problem even more concerning is that studies from China revealed that both CRKP and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (HVKP), which usually belong to different clonal groups, could evolve into CR-HVKP, a superbug that can cause severe and untreatable infections.