Frequency of Iron Uptake Proteins Related Genes Among Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates

Tahereh Elhaki,Iraj Pakzad,Morovat Taherikalani,Mohsen Tabasi,Farid A Jalilian,Ava Behrouzi,Nourkhoda Sadeghifard,Ali Gheysarzadeh,Reza Azizian

doi:10.2174/1874285802014010107

Abstract

Aims: The present study aimed to evaluate Iron uptake protein-related genes in clinical and environmental Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae as an opportunistic pathogen cause infections in immunocompromised patients. Iron uptake systems play an important role in the pathogenesis of Klebsiella pneumonia. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of iron uptake coding genes among isolates of Klebsiella pneumonia. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 isolates of Klebsiella pneumonia including 150 clinical isolates and 150 environmental isolates were selected. Finally, the frequency of iroN, iucD, kfuA,hmuR, and ybt [yHPI] genes were detected by PCR method. Results: The frequency of kfuA, iucD, iroN, yHPI in clinical isolates were 33.3%, 16.7%, 24.7%, 15.3%, respectively and these genes among environmental isolates were 20.7%, 6%, 49.3% and 0.7%, respectively. Among the clinical isolates, the most frequency genes were kfuA gene [50 isolates] and after that iroN [37 isolates], iucD [25 isolates] and yHPI [23 isolates], the genes with the most frequency among environmental isolates were iroN gene [74 isolates] and following that kfuA [31 isolates], iucD [9 isolates] and yHPI [1 isolate]. No hmuR positive samples among all clinical or environmental isolates were found. Conclusion: The result of this study showed that because of the high frequency of ferric iron system coding gene kfu among clinical isolates, this system might play an important role in the survival of bacteria against its host.

Highlights

IntroductionK. pneumoniae is an etiology of a wide range of infections including septicemia, pneumonia, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), meningitis, and purulent abscesses in various organs, especially liver abscesses, Surgical Site Infection (SSI) and conjunctivitis [4]
The result of this study showed that because of the high frequency of ferric iron system coding gene kfu among clinical isolates, this system might play an important role in the survival of bacteria against its host
The environmental isolates were classified into three groups, including salmochelin - ferric iron isolates (n=11), salmochelin - aerobactin isolates (n=2) and salmochelin - yersiniabactin isolate (n=1)

Summary

Introduction

K. pneumoniae is an etiology of a wide range of infections including septicemia, pneumonia, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), meningitis, and purulent abscesses in various organs, especially liver abscesses, Surgical Site Infection (SSI) and conjunctivitis [4] This bacterium occasionally causes UTI and bacteremia along with localized damage in patients with immunodeficiency and catheter [5]. The iron is beneficial in the nutrition and growth of bacteria and is a vital cofactor in defense enzymes against oxidative stresses, such as the components of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase [11, 12] Since this element is bonded to extracellular proteins such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, hemosiderin, ferritin and proteins with high affinity for iron such as lactoferrin and transferrin, so the iron stores available for bacteria are limited, as well as free iron (10-18 mol) level is several thousand times less than the level required for bacterial growth. Iron uptake systems play an important role in the pathogenesis of Klebsiella pneumonia

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