Identification and Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Farmed American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

Han Lin; Jie Ma; Jingyang Sun; Zhendong Qin; Biao Jiang; Wei Li; Qing Wang; Youlu Su; Li Lin; Chun Liu

doi:10.1128/spectrum.03579-22

Microbiology Spectrum (Feb 2023)

Identification and Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Farmed American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

Han Lin,
Jie Ma,
Jingyang Sun,
Zhendong Qin,
Biao Jiang,
Wei Li,
Qing Wang,
Youlu Su,
Li Lin,
Chun Liu

Affiliations

Han Lin: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Jie Ma: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Jingyang Sun: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Zhendong Qin: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Biao Jiang: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Wei Li: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Qing Wang: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Immune Technology of Guangdong Province and Key Laboratory of Fishery Drug Development of Ministry of Agriculture, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, China
Youlu Su: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Li Lin: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
Chun Liu: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Innovative Institute of Animal Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03579-22
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 1

Abstract

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ABSTRACT Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of nosocomial infection and is considered a clinically important bacterium with antibiotic-resistant strains. There are few reports of K. pneumoniae infections in cultured aquatic animals, and no natural infection has been reported in amphibians. From September to October 2021, a high-mortality disease outbreak occurred in a pond-raised American bullfrog farm in Guangzhou, China. The infected bullfrogs were characterized by multiple organ congestive enlargement and inflammation. A pathogenic bacterium was isolated from the viscera of infected bullfrogs and confirmed to be K. pneumoniae by morphological, biochemical, and phylogenetic analyses. Infection experiments confirmed the virulence of the pathogenic strain against bullfrogs and tadpoles. A histopathological examination showed that the strain was harmful to multiple organs. Antibiotic resistance experiments indicated the isolate was a carbapenemase-producing multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae (MDR-KP) strain. This study is the first report of K. pneumoniae infected American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and amphibians. These results will shed light on the pathogenicity of K. pneumoniae and help prevent and control K. pneumoniae infections in bullfrogs. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae is recognized as the most common multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogen in humans, and little is known about its pathogenicity in aquatic animals. Recently, K. pneumoniae was found to cause substantial mortality and morbidity in American farm frogs. This was the first report of K. pneumoniae infecting amphibians. In this study, we analyzed the biochemical, growth, and phylogenetic characteristics of the K. pneumoniae strain and described the symptoms and pathological features of infected bullfrogs and tadpoles; this will provide useful data for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, which has been suggested to decrease economic losses in bullfrog farming and reduce the potential threat to public health posed by K. pneumoniae.

Published in Microbiology Spectrum

ISSN: 2165-0497 (Online)
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: https://journals.asm.org/journal/spectrum

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