Foodborne Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence Potential, Antibiotic Resistance, and Risks to Food Safety

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>Gastrointestinal carriage of Klebsiella pneumoniae is a predisposing factor for liver abscess in several Asian countries. To determine whether hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in the gut may be transmitted through food, we screened a range of raw and ready-to-eat retail food by culture and recovered K. pneumoniae in 21% (147 of 698) of samples tested. Based on PCR, no K. pneumoniae isolates carried the rmpA gene linked to community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess, providing no evidence of a link between food and liver disease. However, phenotypic resistance to multiple antibiotic classes was seen through disk diffusion tests, and carriage of genetic elements (wcaG and capsule types K1, K2, and K54) associated with increased virulence (8%, 11 of 147) was observed by PCR. Multidrug-resistant isolates were from raw vegetables, chicken or pork liver, and a ready-to-eat poultry dish; one multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolate from raw bean sprouts was resistant to a third-generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone). Although K. pneumoniae may be present in food without causing harm, we found isolates belonging to the K1 capsular serotype coexisting with the wcaG gene, one also conferring multidrug resistance. K. pneumoniae that carry antibiotic resistance genes, regardless of pathogenicity, may increase the available genetic pool of resistance along the food chain. Hygienic food handling practices are necessary to lower risks of acquiring K. pneumoniae and other opportunistic pathogens. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>HIGHLIGHTS</jats:title> </jats:sec>

Carriage of Capsular Serotype K1 Klebsiella pneumoniae Sequence Type 23 Strains in Healthy Microbiology Laboratory Staff in Russia

“…Asymptomatically colonizing strains of capsular serotype K1 Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 23 (ST23) have been reported as related to liver abscess in South Korea ( 1 , 2 ) and recently in the United States ( 3 ). In Europe, the colonization of healthy volunteers by K. pneumoniae of high clonal diversity genetic lines is not associated with severe infections ( 4 ).…”

First report on the molecular characterization and the occurrence of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae in unpasteurized bovine's buttermilk

“…However, urinary tract infections were caused by uropathogenic E. coli (Parajuli et al, 2017). Furthermore, K. pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen associated with foodborne disease outbreaks (Hartantyo et al, 2020). It causes extraintestinal human infections such as urinary tract infection, bloodstream infection (septicemia), pneumonia, pyogenic liver abscess (Davis & Price, 2016; Martin et al, 2016), and gastrointestinal diseases (Sun et al, 2019).…”

Prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from public universities’ restaurants of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

“…Our study revealed the presence of K. pneumoniae in cooked food from private and public restaurants. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada [28] and Sri Harminda et al [29], this may result from its thermotolerance. These authors found that complete inactivation of the bacteria may not always occur at 60°C.…”