Jodhpur: Indian Institute of Technology – Jodhpur (IIT-J) is studying the mechanism behind Klebsiella pneumoniae which is one of the pathogens identified. World Health Organization (WHO) as a significant cause of hospital-acquired diseases such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections and infections in ICU patients and neonates. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the pathogens on the priority list of the World Health Organization (WHO). Because of its high virulence and antibiotic resistance, the management and treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae has challenged the medical and scientific community worldwide.
The IIT-J research team, led by Dr Shankar Manoharan, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, is conducting the study in collaboration with scientists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). , using genomics and molecular biology approaches to identify new genes responsible for bacterial vigor.
The findings of this research were recently published in the journal, Microbiology Spectrum. This paper Dr. Shankar Manoharan along with his PhD scholars – Aastha Kapoor, Tamal Dey, and Ardhendu Chakraborty, AIIMS Jodhpur Prof. Vijayalakshmi Nag and Dr. VIT, Vellore. Karthikeyan co-wrote with Sivashanmugam.
Explaining the basis of bacterial virulence, Dr Shankar Manoharan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT Jodhpursaid, “Klebsiella pneumoniae has a way of escaping the body’s immune system and antibiotics by producing a highly viscous and viscous protective coating around itself (hypermucoviscosity).”
It was further stated that hypermucoviscosity can be identified by the string test, in which a bacterial colony growing in laboratory media is touched using an applicator, which is then slowly removed from the colony. If 5 mm or more of superior sticky string extends from the colony to the applicator, the bacteria are hypermucoviscous and highly virulent.
The researchers studied a strain of bacteria called P34, isolated from a cystic lesion of a patient at a tertiary care hospital in Jodhpur, and found that it formed strings 65 mm long.
“It is known that the capsule and mucous-like defenses in Klebsiella pneumoniae are driven by rmpA, rmpA2, rmpC and rmpD genes. However, phenotyping and genomic analysis of P34 by a team at IIT Jodhpur showed that this strain does not have any of these genes. This This means that there are genes other than the RMP family of genes that are responsible for the bacterium’s hypermucoviscosity and virulence,” the researchers reported in a statement.
Knowing that other genes and mechanisms may play a role in the virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae, researchers continue to study variations (mutants) of P34 strains of the bacteria to understand the correlation between mucous formation and genes present or absent. The team has also identified mutants that have lost this unusual stickiness due to changes in specific genes.
Highlighting the future path of his work, Dr Manoharan said, “We are currently studying these mutants and disrupted genes to elucidate possible new mechanisms behind this unusual sticky and sticky coat of Klebsiella pneumoniae P34.” Such understanding will enable the development of methods to effectively control the spread of such strains and treat the infections they cause.
