Klebsiella pneumoniae: a connecting link in the One Health concept

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae is the major cause of hospital-acquired infections worldwide. Besides hospitals, it is widely prevalent in diverse environmental settings, emphasizing the need to study it through the One Health approach. Dissemination of multidrug resistant, and/or hypervirulent, strains in the environment exacerbates the problem. However, only a few studies have examined its prevalence in the environment, leaving gaps in our understanding of its ecology across diverse habitats. A deeper insight into the pathogen's ecology is necessary to understand its dissemination routes. In this review, we have first discussed the taxonomy of the genus Klebsiella and widespread prevalence of the Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex. Key factors, including mechanisms driving multidrug resistance, contributing to its ubiquity and competitiveness have been discussed. Additionally, ecological roles played by K. pneumoniae have been outlined. Finally, the studies comparing clinical and environmental isolates of K. pneumoniae have been reviewed, and a road map for future work in the area have been presented.

Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex; community acquired infections; multidrug-resistant; plant growth promotion; virulence.