Emerging Multidrug-Resistant Bacterium in Community Settings: NIH Investigation

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is investigating the emergence of "hypervirulent" strains of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae in healthy individuals in community settings. Researchers found that some strains were more likely to survive in blood and serum than others, and that neutrophils (white blood cells) were more likely to ingest and kill certain strains. The study suggests that a vaccine approach for prevention and treatment of infections is feasible. The findings also challenge the classification of K. pneumoniae into classical or hypervirulent forms, and further research will explore the factors involved in the susceptibility of multidrug-resistant hypervirulent strains to the body's immune defenses.