Nanopore sequencing of Klebsiella species from neonatal sepsis

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.