Klebsiella spp. strains from artisanal foods. Genomic investigation of Klebsiella spp. strains isolated from artisanal ready to eat foods of animal origin

This study was aimed at investigating Klebsiella spp. strains collected from two artisanal ready-to-eat food productions of animal origins from Italy as potential vehicle for the transmission of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. Moreover, their population structure was also analyzed with public sequences to track potential movements through different ecological niches. Although not generally recognized as a major foodborne pathogen, recent reports are concerned with Klebsiella spp. contribution to the spread of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes along the food chain, highlighting the importance of further surveillance.