Human pandemic K27-ST392 CTX-M-15 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae: A one health clone threatening companion animals

One Health. 2022 Jul 3:15:100414. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2022.100414. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae is a medically important pathogen that commonly causes human nosocomial infections. Since veterinary emergency and critical care services have also significantly progressed over the last decades, there are increasing reports of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae causing hospital-associated infections in companion animals. We present microbiological and genomic analysis of a multidrug-resistant ESBL-positive K. pneumoniae (LCKp01) isolated from a fatal infection in a dog admitted to a veterinary intensive care unit. LCKp01 strain belonged to the sequence type ST392 and displays a KL27 (wzi-187) and O-locus 4 (O4). A broad resistome and presence of the bla CTX-M-15 ESBL gene were predicted. SNP-based phylogenomic analysis, using an international genome database, clustered LCKp01 (60-80 SNPs differences) with K. pneumoniae ST392 from human and animal infections, isolated at 4-year interval, whereas phylogeographical analysis confirmed successful expansion of ST392 as a global clone of One Health concern.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Critical-priority pathogen; Enterobacterales; Genomic surveillance; One health; Veterinary medicine.