Bacteriophages of Klebsiella spp., their diversity and potential therapeutic uses

Abstract

Klebsiella spp. are commensals of the human microbiota, and a leading cause of opportunistic nosocomial infections. The incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae causing serious infections is increasing, and K. oxytoca is an emerging pathogen. Alternative strategies to tackle infections caused by these bacteria are required as strains become resistant to last-resort antibiotics such as colistin. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria. They and their gene products are now being considered as alternatives or adjuncts to antimicrobial therapies. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown the potential for lytic phages to combat MDR K. pneumoniae infections. Ready access to cheap sequencing technologies has led to a large increase in the number of genomes available for Klebsiella-infecting phages, with these phages heterogeneous at the whole-genome level. This review summarises our current knowledge on phages of Klebsiella spp. and highlights technological and biological issues relevant to the development of phage-based therapies targeting these bacteria.

Kinetic Fingerprinting Links Bacteria-Phage Interactions with Emergent Dynamics: Rapid Depletion of Klebsiella pneumoniae Indicates Phage Synergy

“…In fact, Klebsiella is one of the most prophage-rich species, comparable to E.coli and Yersinia enterocolitica with a medium of nine prophages per genome [ 27 ]. The phages used in the current study belong to so called K32 phages [ 21 , 28 ]. A known characteristic of phage K32 and related phages which belong to Podoviridae is the presence of capsule-polysaccharide specific depolymerase.…”

Isolation of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Sungai Skudai and in silico analysis of putative dehalogenase protein

“…Klebsiella sp. is usually involved in nosocomial infections, such as urinary and respiratory tract infections as well as infections of wounds and soft tissue (Herridge et al, 2020). Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca are the most common pathogens in genus Klebsiella that have rapidly become global threat.…”

Klebsiella virus UPM2146 lyses multiple drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in vitro and in vivo

“…In addition, they exhibit far fewer side effects compared to the antibiotics [7]. At least 70 K. pneumoniae phages have been isolated and characterized to date [8]. However, very few K. pneumoniae phages have been studied in vivo using mouse, rat and pig models [9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…However, very few K. pneumoniae phages have been studied in vivo using mouse, rat and pig models [9][10][11][12][13]. Apart from these animals, the virulence of K. pneumoniae has also been evaluated in other non-conventional models such as amoeba and zebrafish to mitigate limitations in the mouse, rat and pig models such as high cost, specialized facilities and ethical concerns [8]. It has been shown that only certain K. pneumoniae strains were able to infect zebrafish and cause mortality.…”