Serotype and virulence genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from mink and its pathogenesis in mice and mink

Abstract

In the study, 15 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from the mink experiencing respiratory distress in mideastern Shandong province, China, and the prevalence of K. pneumoniae in the sampled mink was 11.9% (15/126). Fourteen (93.33%) of the 15 K. pneumoniae isolates were identified as serotype K2 and hypermucoviscosity phenotype. The 12 virulence-associated genes of the K. pneumoniae isolates were tested. The prevalence of the wabG gene for the isolates were 100% (15/15), the ureA gene 100% (15/15), the rmpA gene 93.33% (14/15), the aerobactin gene 93.33% (14/15), the uge gene 93.33% (14/15), the IucB gene 80% (12/15) and the ybtA gene 13.33% (2/15). But the other five genes, fim, iroNB, wcaG, alls and kfuBC, gave a negative PCR reaction in the 15 isolates, respectively. The animal experiments using K. pneumoniae-SD-12 and K. pneumoniae-SD-21 demonstrated that the serotype K2 was high virulence for mice and mink. These finding implied there exist potential threat that K. pneumoniae pathogens could transmit to human, especially the fur animal farm workers and residents lived near the fur animal farms. Therefore, the etiology and epidemiological surveillance of K. pneumoniae in mink should be strengthened for people’s public health.