%0 Journal Article
%T Enhancement of capsular hypermucoviscosity in Klebsiella pneumoniae by Acanthamoeba.
%A Huang JM
%A Sung KC
%A Lin WC
%A Lai HY
%A Wang YJ
%J PLoS Negl Trop Dis
%V 17
%N 8
%D 2023 08 11
%M 37566587
暂无%R 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011541
%X Acanthamoeba and Klebsiella pneumoniae are both environmental commensals. Recently, clinical harm caused by hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae has been observed. However, the interaction between these microbes and the origin of hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae have not been reported.<BR>Here, we report that the bacterial capsule is enlarged when co-cultured with Acanthamoeba using India ink staining, and this effect depends on the number of parasites present. This interaction results in an enhancement of capsular polysaccharide production in the subsequent generations of K. pneumoniae, even without co-culturing with Acanthamoeba. The hypermucoviscosity of the capsule was examined using the sedimentation assay and string test. We also screened other K. pneumoniae serotypes, including K1, K2, K5, and K20, for interaction with Acanthamoeba using India ink staining, and found the same interaction effect.<BR>These findings suggest that the interaction between Acanthamoeba and K. pneumoniae could lead to harmful consequences in public health and nosocomial disease control, particularly hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae infections.