A Novel Peptide as a Specific and Selective Probe for Klebsiella pneumoniae Detection

Klebsiella pneumoniae is infamous for generating hospital-acquired infections, many of which are difficult to treat due to the bacterium's multidrug resistance. A sensitive and robust detection method of K. pneumoniae can help prevent a disease outbreak. Herein, we used K. pneumoniae cells as bait to screen a commercially available phage-displayed random peptide library for peptides that could be used to detect K. pneumoniae. The biopanning-derived peptide TSATKFMMNLSP, named KP peptide, displayed a high selectivity for the K. pneumoniae with low cross-reactivity to related Gram-negative bacteria. The specific interaction between KP peptide and K. pneumoniae lipopolysaccharide resulted in the peptide's selectivity against K. pneumoniae. Quantitative analysis of this interaction by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that the KP peptide possessed higher specificity and sensitivity toward K. pneumoniae than commercially available anti-Klebsiella spp. antibodies and could detect K. pneumoniae at a detection limit of 10(4) CFU/mL. These results suggest that KP peptide can be a promising alternative to antibodies in developing a biosensor system for K. pneumoniae detection.

Automated summary

In this study, a highly selective KP peptide was screened using Klebsiella pneumoniae cells as a bait for detection of the bacterium. The specific interaction between KP peptide and K. pneumoniae lipopolysaccharide resulted in high sensitivity and specificity in detecting K. pneumoniae. Therefore, KP peptide holds promise as an alternative to antibodies in developing a biosensor system for K. pneumoniae detection.