Liver abscess caused by magA plus Klebsiella pneumoniae in North America

Taiwan has witnessed an emerging syndrome of liver abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying the magA gene required for exopolysaccharide web biosynthesis. We report a patient transferred from Alaska to Washington State with a magA(+) K. pneumoniae liver abscess and describe a simple approach for recognition of these hypervirulent strains.