Molecular Detection of Virulence genes (rmpA2, iuc & iroB) of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in Clinical Isolates from Patients in Khartoum State, Sudan

Background: Iron acquisition systems and regulator mucoid phenotype plays an important role in the pathogenesis and virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of virulence genes iuc, iroB and rmpA2 of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hykp) in clinical isolates from patients in Khartoum.

Methods: A total of 400 samples were collected from 250 (62.5%) males and 150 (37.5%) females. All samples were cultivated in agar plates to determine the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. These isolates were screened for hypermucoviscosity phenotypically by string test. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed for all isolates to identify their resistance pattern, iuc, rmpA2, iroB genes were investigated by polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Our results demonstrate that the majority of participants 150 (37.5%) are aged 31 – 40 years. Out of 400 samples cultivated, 313 (78.75%) were yield significant pathogenic growth of which 95 (23.75%) are K.pneumoniae isolates, and 220 (55.0%) are other pathogenic organisms while the rest of samples 87 (17.25%) were showed no pathogenic growth isolated. The frequency of iuc, iroB, rmpA2 were 74.7%, 57.9%, 2.1% respectively among the clinical isolates. String tests were positive among 30 (31.6%) isolates and the remaining 65 (68.4%) isolates gave negative results.

Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of iuC virulence gene of hvkp, high frequency iron acquisition systems coding gene iuC gene, iroB gene compared to regulator mucoid phenotype A2 (rmpA2 gene) among clinical isolates.