Klebsiella pneumoniae and type 3 fimbriae: nosocomial infection, regulation and biofilm formation.
Publication/Presentation Date
8-1-2012
Abstract
The Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae is responsible for causing a spectrum of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Globally, K. pneumoniae is a frequently encountered hospital-acquired opportunistic pathogen that typically infects patients with indwelling medical devices. Biofilm formation on these devices is important in the pathogenesis of these bacteria, and in K. pneumoniae, type 3 fimbriae have been identified as appendages mediating the formation of biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. The factors influencing the regulation of type 3 fimbrial gene expression are largely unknown but recent investigations have indicated that gene expression is regulated, at least in part, by the intracellular levels of cyclic di-GMP. In this review, we have highlighted the recent studies that have worked to elucidate the mechanism by which type 3 fimbrial expression is controlled and the studies that have established the importance of type 3 fimbriae for biofilm formation and nosocomial infection by K. pneumoniae.
Volume
7
Issue
8
First Page
991
Last Page
1002
ISSN
1746-0921
Published In/Presented At
Murphy, C. N., & Clegg, S. (2012). Klebsiella pneumoniae and type 3 fimbriae: nosocomial infection, regulation and biofilm formation. Future microbiology, 7(8), 991–1002. https://doi.org/10.2217/fmb.12.74
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
22913357
Department(s)
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Document Type
Article