Objectives: Hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae is an emerging cause of community-acquired liver abscess. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hypermucoviscous strains could be shared among households.
Methods: The clinical K. pneumoniae isolates from a cohort of 24 patients with Klebsiella liver abscess were genotyped, and the stool metagenomes of the index patients and their cohabiting domestic partners were analyzed.
Results: K. pneumoniae was identified in 33% of index patient stools, and one index patient's clinical isolate was identified in their domestic partner's stool.
Conclusions: This could represent a transmission event or could represent exposure to a common environmental source.
Keywords: Genomics; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Liver abscess; Microbiome.
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