Nanopore sequencing of Klebsiella species from neonatal sepsis. Klebsiella species

Klebsiella species are commonly implicated in neonatal sepsis. Yet many isolates appear unremarkable both in terms of their antibiotic resistance and their virulence characteristics. They generally represent many different, usually uncommon, types. We set out to sequence a set of these isolates using long-read nanopore sequencing to see if we could identify any characteristics that may be relevant. In particular, the study found that most of the isolates carried plasmids that contained genes encoding resistance to heavy metals (copper, silver, arsenic, tellurite and mercury); this is in common with 'hypervirulence' plasmids. The finding that these plasmids are found in such a high proportion of these isolates suggests that they may play a role in invasive disease in neonates. This study allowed us to compare them.

克雷伯菌属（Klebsiella species）常与新生儿败血症相关联。然而，诸多分离株在抗生素耐药性与毒力特征方面均无显著异常，且通常涵盖多种不同且较为罕见的型别。本研究采用纳米孔长读长测序（long-read nanopore sequencing）技术对这批分离株进行测序，旨在探寻与之相关的潜在特征。研究结果显示，绝大多数分离株携带的质粒携带有编码重金属（铜、银、砷、亚碲酸盐及汞）耐药性的基因，这一特征与高毒力质粒（hypervirulence plasmids）的情况一致。此类质粒在这批分离株中检出比例极高，提示其可能在新生儿侵袭性疾病中发挥作用。本研究为开展相关比对分析提供了条件。