Identification and Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Farmed American Bullfrogs ( <i>Rana catesbeiana</i> )
Han Lin, Jie Ma, Jingyang Sun, Zhendong Qin, Biao Jiang, Wei Li, Qing Wang, Youlu Su, Li Lin, Chun Liu
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is recognized as the most common multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogen in humans, and little is known about its pathogenicity in aquatic animals. Recently, K. pneumoniae was found to cause substantial mortality and morbidity in American farm frogs. This was the first report of K. pneumoniae infecting amphibians. In this study, we analyzed the biochemical, growth, and phylogenetic characteristics of the K. pneumoniae strain and described the symptoms and pathological features of infected bullfrogs and tadpoles; this will provide useful data for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, which has been suggested to decrease economic losses in bullfrog farming and reduce the potential threat to public health posed by K. pneumoniae.