Virulent phenotypes in classic Klebsiella pneumoniae

Members of the K. pneumoniae species complex (KpSC) possess a critical challenge to healthcare due to its ability to acquire virulence genes and resistance to multiple antibiotic families. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of isolates belonging to KpSC. A total of 359 KpSC isolates collected from ten hospitals were classified as classical (cl), hypervirulent (hv) and hypermucoviscous (hmv) based on the presence or absence of virulence genes and antimicrobial susceptibility, capsule production and pathogenicity.