Genomic and Immunological Characterization of Hypermucoviscous Carbapenem-Resistant ST25 Isolates from Northwest Argentina.

In recent years, an increase in the prevalence hypermucoviscous carbapenem-resistant with sequence type 25 (ST25) was detected in hospitals of Tucuman (Northwest Argentina). In this work, the virulence and the innate immune response to two ST25 strains (LABACER 01 and LABACER 27) were evaluated in a murine model after a respiratory challenge. In addition, comparative genomics was performed with LABACER01 and LABACER27 to analyze genes associated with virulence.

Draft genome sequences of two hypermucoviscous carbapenem-resistant ST25 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains causing respiratory and systemic infections.

Objectives: The emergence and spread of hypermucoviscous KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains belonging to the sequence type 25 (ST25) clone was reported recently in Northwest Argentina as a leading cause of nosocomial infections. The aim of this work was to perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to analyse antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factors and colonisation-associated genes in two carbapenem-resistant KPC-2-producing ST25 K. pneumoniae strains isolated from hospitalised patients.