Compared to classical Klebsiella pneumoniae, hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) exhibits stronger pathogenicity and a greater ability to evade host immune responses. Infections caused by hvKP typically manifest as more severe diseases with higher mortality rates, thereby increasing the complexity and challenges of clinical treatment. The emergence of carbapenem-resistant hvKP (CR-hvKP) exacerbates this predicament. Although there is still confusion regarding the clinical definition and detection standards for hvKP, this article systematically explains the clinical infection characteristics, identification methods, and mechanisms behind the emergence of CR-hvKP. This can enhance clinical staff’s vigilance towards hvKP infections and offer comprehensive and detailed considerations for the diagnosis and treatment of such strains.
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae has the characteristics of high virulence and high viscosity, which can cause pneumonia, bacteremia, liver abscess, meningitis and other diseases, and in severe cases, it can be life-threatening. At present, studies on the pathogenic mechanism of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae showed that siderophore virulence genes play an important role in it. The siderophores closely related to hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae virulence mainly include aerobactin, enterobactin, yersiniabactin and salmochelin. Siderophore-related virulence genes mainly include aer, iucB, iroNB and kfuBC. This article focuses on a brief review of the role of siderophore virulence genes in the pathogenic mechanism of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, and aims to guide infection control.