Klebsiella pneumoniaecauses bacteremia using factors that mediate tissue-specific fitness and resistance to oxidative stress
Authors: Holmes Caitlyn L. , Wilcox Alexis E. , Forsyth Valerie , Smith Sara N. , Moricz Bridget S. , Unverdorben Lavinia V. , Mason Sophia , Wu Weisheng , Zhao Lili , Mobley Harry L.T. , Bachman Michael A. 
Published: February 2023

Gram-negative bacteremia is a major cause of global morbidity involving three phases of pathogenesis: initial site infection, dissemination, and survival in the blood and filtering organs.Klebsiella pneumoniaeis a leading cause of bacteremia and pneumonia is often the initial infection. In the lung,K. pneumoniaerelies on many factors like capsular polysaccharide and branched chain amino acid biosynthesis for virulence and fitness. However, mechanisms directly enabling bloodstream fitness are unclear. Here, we performed transposon insertion sequencing (TnSeq) in a tail-vein injection model of bacteremia and identified 58K. pneumoniaebloodstream fitness genes. These factors are diverse and represent a variety of cellular processes.In vivovalidation revealed tissue-specific mechanisms by which distinct factors support bacteremia. ArnD, involved in Lipid A modification, was required across blood filtering organs and supported resistance to soluble splenic factors. The purine biosynthesis enzyme PurD largely enhanced liver fitness and was required for replication in serum. PdxA, a member of the endogenous vitamin B6 biosynthesis pathway, optimized replication in serum and lung fitness. The stringent response regulator SspA was required for splenic fitness yet was dispensable in the liver. In a bacteremic pneumonia model that incorporates initial site infection and dissemination, splenic fitness defects were enhanced, and DsbA, SspA, and PdxA increased fitness across bacteremia phases. SspA and PdxA enhancedK. pnuemoniaeresistance to oxidative stress. SspA specifically resists oxidative stress produced by NADPH oxidase Nox2 in the lung, spleen, and liver, as it was a fitness factor in wild-type but not Nox2-deficient (Cybb−/−) mice. These results identify site-specific fitness factors that act during the progression of Gram-negative bacteremia. DefiningK. pneumoniaefitness strategies across bacteremia phases could illuminate therapeutic targets that prevent infection and sepsis.

Author Summary

Gram-negative bacteremia is a deadly family of infections that initiate sepsis, a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Only a small number of Gram-negative species contribute to the majority of clinical bacteremia.Klebsiella pneumoniaeis the second leading cause of Gram-negative bacteremia, and the third leading cause of overall bloodstream infection.K. pneumoniaeis highly linked to hospital-associated infection with increasing antimicrobial resistance, endangering the most vulnerable patients. It is critical to understand the pathogenesis ofK. pneumoniaebacteremia to better develop targets for future therapies that can prevent these deadly infections. Here, we define over 50K. pneumoniaegenes that support bloodstream fitness. These factors are diverse, support tissue-specific fitness, and increase bacterial resistance to oxidative stress. Our study is the first to systematically defineK. pneumoniaefactors enhancing bacteremia in a mammalian system. These results illuminate host-pathogen interactions duringK. pneumoniaebacteremia that may be extended to additional Gram-negative species.