The Galleria mellonella Infection Model Does Not Accurately Differentiate between Hypervirulent and Classical Klebsiella pneumoniae

Abstract

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is of increasing concern because it can infect individuals in community and health care settings and because such infections are becoming difficult to treat. Identification of hvKp is important for patient care and to track its global spread. The genetic definition of hvKp, which can be used for its identification and the development of diagnostic tests, has not been optimized. Determination of possession of 4 of 5 genes that are present on the hvKp-specific virulence plasmid is highly accurate for identifying hvKp. However, an ongoing issue is whether strains that possess only some of these markers are still hypervirulent. The Galleria mellonella model and, less commonly, the murine infection model have been used to assess the virulence of these ambiguously identifiable strains. This report demonstrates that the murine model but not the G. mellonella model accurately identifies suspected hvKp strains. This information is critical for the development of diagnostics for patient care and for future research studies.