The role of K antigens as virulence factors in Klebsiella

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The importance of K antigens of Klebsiella as a virulence factor was studied in nine pairs of K+ and K- strains, each pair isogenic apart from the presence of K antigen. Loss of K antigen by nine K+ strains resulted in the reduced virulence of their K- variants in a mouse-skin model. This reduced virulence of K- strains for mice may be explained in all strains by a higher degree of phagocytosis as measured by chemiluminescence response of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) in most strains by enhanced killing by either human serum or both. Although the protective role of the K antigen in serum-induced killing and killing by PMNL was generally evident, our results also suggested that other virulence factors were sometimes involved.