Comprehensive Analysis of Bacteriocins Produced by the Hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae Species Complex
Mi Nguyen‐Tra Le, Thao Huu-Huong Nguyen, Van Minh Trinh, Tam Nguyên, Miki Kawada‐Matsuo, Shizuo Kayama, Motoyuki Sugai, Hitoshi Komatsuzawa
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative commensal bacterium that asymptomatically colonizes human mucosal membranes, such as the intestinal tract, but it is also a leading cause of health care- and community-associated infections. Additionally, multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae has been continuously evolving, which significantly challenges the available chemotherapeutic treatment for its infections. K. pneumoniae produces several kinds of antimicrobial peptides known as bacteriocins, which have antibacterial activity against closely related species. This work was the first comprehensive report of bacteriocin distribution among the hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae species complex population and the inhibitory activity of each bacteriocin type against various species, including multidrug-resistant strains. Our findings provide a foundation for future studies on the K. pneumoniae species complex, including studies on the competition within the microflora and the potential applications of bacteriocins in treating multidrug-resistant bacteria.