Diversity of Circulating NKT Cells in Defense against Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Infection

Abstract

Nosocomial infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (CRKP) infection has become a global public health problem. Human NK and NKT cells in peripheral immune responses are recognized as occupying a critical role in anti-bacterial immunity. Through performed scRNA-seq on serial peripheral blood samples from 3 patients with CRKP undergoing colonization, infection, and recovery conditions, we were able to described the immune responses of NK and NKT cells during CRKP infection and identified a mechanism that could contribute to CRKP clearance. The central player of CRKP infection process appears to be the NKT subset and CD56hiNKT subset which maintained immune competence during CRKP colonization. With time, CRKP leads to the loss of NK and CD160hiNKT cells in peripheral blood, resulting in suppressed immune responses and increased susceptibility to opportunistic infection. In summary, our study identified a possible mechanism for the CRKP invasion and to decipher the clues behind the host immune response that influences CRKP infection pathogenesis.