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Virulence Factors in Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Literature Review

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Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae, a member of the autochthonous human gut microbiota, utilizes a variety of virulence factors for survival and pathogenesis. Consequently, it is responsible for several human infections, including urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections, liver abscess, meningitis, bloodstream infections, and medical device-associated infections. The main studied virulence factors in K. pneumoniae are capsule-associated, fimbriae, siderophores, Klebsiella ferric iron uptake, and the ability to metabolize allantoin. They are crucial for virulence and were associated with specific infections in the mice infection model. Notably, these factors are also prevalent in strains from the same infections in humans. However, the type and quantity of virulence factors may vary between strains, which defines the degree of pathogenicity. In this review, we summarize the main virulence factors investigated in K. pneumoniae from different human infections. We also cover the specific identification genes and their prevalence in K. pneumoniae, especially in hypervirulent strains.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)—Brasil [grant code 001]. Adriano S. S. Monteiro acknowledges the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) for the Ph.D. scholarships.

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  1. Laboratory of Pathology and Molecular Biology (LPBM), Gonçalo Moniz Research Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    Adriano de Souza Santos Monteiro & Joice Neves Reis

  2. Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    Soraia Machado Cordeiro & Joice Neves Reis

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  1. Adriano de Souza Santos Monteiro
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Adriano de Souza Santos Monteiro did the literature search, data analysis, and drafted it; Soraia Machado Cordeiro had the idea of the article and drafted it; and the work was critically revised by Joice Neves Reis Pedreira.

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Monteiro, A.d.S.S., Cordeiro, S.M. & Reis, J.N. Virulence Factors in Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Literature Review. Indian J Microbiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-024-01247-0

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