Klebsiella pneumoniae derived outer membrane vesicles mediated bacterial virulence, antibiotic resistance, host immune responses and clinical applications

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative pathogen that can cause multiple diseases including sepsis, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia. The escalating detections of hypervirulent and antibiotic-resistant isolates are giving rise to growing public concerns. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are spherical vesicles containing bioactive substances including lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, periplasmic and cytoplasmic proteins, and nucleic acids. Emerging studies have reported various roles of OMVs in bacterial virulence, antibiotic resistance, stress adaptation, and host interactions, whereas knowledge on their roles in K. pneumoniae is currently unclear. In this review, we summarized recent progress on the biogenesis, components, and biological function of K. pneumoniae OMVs, the impact and action mechanism in virulence, antibiotic resistance, and host immune response. We also deliberated on the potential of K. pneumoniae OMVs in vaccine development, as diagnostic biomarkers, and as drug nanocarriers. In conclusion, K. pneumoniae OMVs hold great promise in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, which merits further investigation.