Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: a Call for Consensus Definition and International Collaboration

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains have higher potential to cause more severe and disseminated infections than classic K. pneumoniae strains. While initially reported from East Asian countries, cases have now been identified worldwide, sometimes in conjunction with extensive drug resistance. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, T. A. Russo et al. (J Clin Microbiol 56:e00776-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00776-18) validated the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers that differentiate hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains from classic strains. This represents a major step forward in building a consensus definition and designing international studies aimed at elucidating the global epidemiology, clinical features, and outcome of this important pathogen.