“Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumonia: From Community-Acquired Infections to Multidrug Resistant Hospital Threats”

Abstract

Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumoniae (hvKp) has emerged as important and rapidly expanding public health concern due to its capacity to cause severe, invasive infections in both immunocompromised and otherwise healthy individuals, unlike classical K pneumoniae strains that are commonly linked to hospital acquired infections, hvKp is associated with community-acquired disease and is cauterized by its ability to disseminate from  primary infection sites to multiple distinct organs, leadings to complication such as liver abscess, blood stream infection, meningitis, endophthalmitis, and pneumoniae. Enhanced photogenic potential of hvKp is largely attributed to key virulence determinants including a thick capsular polysaccharides layer, hypermucoviscosity phenotype, efficient iron acquisition system such as aerobactin, and virulence- associated plasmids- encoded genes. Over recent decades, hvKp has demonstrated a significant shift in epidemiological patterns, with increasing reports from hospital settings and high-risk patient populations such as individuals with increasing with diabetes mellitus and prolonged healthcare exposure. Particular concern is the growing convergence of hypervirulence, antimicrobial resistance, including carbapenem resistance, which complicates therapeutic management, contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. Accurate identification of hvKp requires integration of clinical presentation with phenotypic and molecular diagnostic approaches targeting specific virulence markers. Effective management relies on timely diagnosis, Appropriate antimicrobial therapy, adequate source control, wild infection prevention depends on surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, strict hospital hygiene practices. This review summarizes current understanding of hvKp epidemiology, structural and functional characteristics, pathogenic mechanisms, post susceptibility, clinical manifestations, diagnostic strategies and treatment challenges highlighting urgent need for improved detection methods and novel therapeutic inventions to limit its global impact.