Acquisition of a novel conjugative multidrug‐resistant hypervirulent plasmid leads to hypervirulence in clinical carbapenem‐resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains
Gong Li,
Ling Jia,
Lei Wan,
Lijuan Xia,
Ang Gao,
Runshi Yang,
Ruanyang Sun,
Minge Wang,
Juan Du,
Xinlei Lian,
Rongmin Zhang,
Liangxing Fang,
Xiaoping Liao,
Yahong Liu,
Bao‐Tao Liu,
Jian Sun
Affiliations
Gong Li
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Ling Jia
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Lei Wan
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Lijuan Xia
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Ang Gao
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Runshi Yang
Department of Pathogen Biology and Microbiology Zhejiang University School of Medicine Hangzhou China
Ruanyang Sun
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Minge Wang
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Juan Du
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Xinlei Lian
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Rongmin Zhang
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Liangxing Fang
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Xiaoping Liao
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Yahong Liu
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Bao‐Tao Liu
College of Veterinary Medicine Qingdao Agricultural University Qingdao China
Jian Sun
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
Abstract The co‐occurrence of plasmid‐mediated multidrug resistance and hypervirulence in epidemic carbapenem‐resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has emerged as a global public health issue. In this study, an ST23 carbapenem‐resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR‐HvKP) strain VH1‐2 was identified from cucumber in China and harbored a novel hybrid plasmid pVH1‐2‐VIR. The plasmid pVH1‐2‐VIR carrying both virulence and multidrug‐resistance (MDR) genes was likely generated through the recombination of a virulence plasmid and an IncFIIK conjugative MDR plasmid in clinical ST23 18622 isolated from a sputum sample. The plasmid pVH1‐2‐VIR exhibited the capacity for transfer to the clinical ST11 carbapenem‐resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) strain via conjugation assay. Acquisition of pVH1‐2‐VIR plasmid directly converted a CRKP into CR‐HvKP strain characterized by hypermucoviscosity, heightened virulence for Galleria mellonella larvae, and increased colonization ability in the mouse intestine. The emergence of such a hybrid plasmid may expedite the spread of CR‐HvKP strains, posing a significant risk to human health.
