Uncomplicated pharyngitis due to family transmission of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae

Hannah K Gray; Sanchi Malhotra; Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer; Gregory D Whitehill; Alisa C Chalmers; Shangxin Yang

doi:10.1007/s10096-025-05043-6

Uncomplicated pharyngitis due to family transmission of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 Jan 23. doi: 10.1007/s10096-025-05043-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hannah K Gray¹, Sanchi Malhotra², Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer¹, Gregory D Whitehill³, Alisa C Chalmers⁴, Shangxin Yang^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. [email protected].
³ Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. [email protected].
⁶ UCLA Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, 11633 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90049, USA. [email protected].

PMID: 39847240
DOI: 10.1007/s10096-025-05043-6

Abstract

We describe two cases of uncomplicated pharyngitis caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) in a family, initially in an immunocompetent adolescent, followed by possible household spread resulting in similar presentations in the patient's parent. Genomic analysis confirmed hvKp from the two cases were genetically identical and typed as K2-ST3252. Nasopharyngeal carriage and respiratory secretion/droplet may play an important yet underrecognized role in the transmission of hvKp. Enhancing routine screening for hvKp in the upper respiratory culture, followed by genotyping provides an effective pathway for early diagnosis.

Keywords: Family transmission; Genomic surveillance; Genotyping; Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae; Pharyngitis.