Abstract / Summary
Abstract Objective To investigate the clinical and molecular epidemiological characteristics of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) in Hebei Province, providing a theoretical basis for curbing its transmission and reducing the associated disease burden. Methods A total of 344 non-duplicate Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) strains, along with their antimicrobial susceptibility results and clinical information of infected patients, were collected from 27 hospitals across different regions in Hebei Province. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and wzi serotyping of hvkp strains were further performed by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Results Among the 344 KP isolates, hvKP strains accounted for 25.3% (87/344). Zhangjiakou and Tangshan Cities exhibited the highest hvKP detection rate (44.4%, 8/18), while Shijiazhuang City had the lowest (14.7%, 14/95). ICU (19.5%, 17/87) and respiratory medicine department (13.8%, 12/87) were the top two source departments for hvKP infections. Respiratory disorders (32.2%, 28/87) comprised the most prevalent underlying disease in infected patients, followed by neurological disorders (28.7%, 25/87). Compared to non-hvKP cases, 86.2% (75/87) of hvKP patients exhibited favorable outcomes, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The resistance rates of hvKP demonstrated lower resistance rates to most antimicrobials compared with classical K. pneumoniae (cKP) ( P < 0.05). Among hvKP isolates, ST23-K1 is the predominant genotype-serotype combination, with K1 (39.1%, 34/87), K2 (23.0%, 20/87), and K57 (21.8%, 19/87) as the major serotypes. Conclusion HvKP exhibits a high clinical isolation rate in Hebei Province, China. Enhanced clinical monitoring and the development of rational intervention strategies are essential to prevent the spread and epidemic of this pathogen.