Klebsiella, a Hitherto Underappreciated Zoonotic Pathogen of Importance to One Health: A Short Review

Abstract

Members of the genus, Klebsiella, are becoming increasingly challenging to control due to the recent convergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) and hypervirulent (hv) phenotypes in some species of concern to One Health. This short review will provide an introduction to this bacterial genus in the hospital and other settings, update Klebsiella taxonomy, and comment on recent findings describing the prevalence of Klebsiella species in the food chain, a hitherto infrequently recognised ecologic niche. The paper will also consider this bacterium in the context of the One Health paradigm and its importance to food safety and security.