Role of outer membrane proteins in virulence of Klebsiella ozaenae and antibiotic sensitivity

Abstract

Abstract In the present study, the association between outer membrane proteins loss, virulence and antibiotic sensitivity was investigated in K. ozaenae. An outer membrane proteins deficient K. ozaenae was derived from local clinical K. ozaenae isolate. Virulence was assessed by comparing the clearance of viable complete K. ozaenae with that outer membrane proteins deficient K. ozaenae in the spleen, liver, appendix, and blood of injected laboratory mice. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by disc diffusion method. It was recorded significant differences at a P value of ⩽0.05 between the logarithm of the viable number of the complete K. ozaenae and logarithm of the viable number of outer membrane proteins deficient K. ozaenae that retrieved from the spleen, liver, appendix, and blood. It was observed that the logarithm of the viable number of complete K. ozaenae increased gradually during 18, 24, 48 and 72 hours compared with the logarithm of the viable number of outer membrane proteins deficient K. ozaenae which increases during 18-24 hours, and then decreased in all organs. Susceptibility tests showed that complete K. ozaenae isolate was resistant to most used antibiotics including amoxicillin, cephalothin, ceftazidime, cefotoxime, amikacin, tetracycline, naldixic acid, erythromycin, trimethoprim and sensitive to only imipenem and gentamicin. Whereas outer membrane deficient K. ozaenae isolate was resistant to all antibiotics used in our study.