AUTHOR=Guo Yatao , Zhai Yao , Zhang Zhao , Li Daixi , Wang Zhanwei , Li Jingquan , He Zilong , Hu Songnian , Kang Yu , Gao Zhancheng 

TITLE=Complete Genomic Analysis of a Kingdom-Crossing Klebsiella variicola Isolate

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02428

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.02428

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Bacterial isolate X39 was isolated from a community-acquired pneumonia patient in Beijing, China. A phylogenetic tree based on <italic>rpoB</italic> genes and average nucleotide identity data confirmed that isolate X39 belonged to <italic>Klebsiella variicola</italic>. The genome of <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 contained one circular chromosome and nine plasmids. Comparative genomic analyses with other <italic>K. variicola</italic> isolates revealed that <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 contained the most unique genes. Of these unique genes, many were prophages and transposases. Many virulence factors were shared between <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 and <italic>Klebsiella pneumoniae</italic> F1. The pathogenicity of <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 was compared with that of <italic>K. pneumoniae</italic> F1 in an abdominal infection model. The results indicated that <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 was less virulent than typical clinical <italic>K. pneumoniae</italic> F1. The genome of <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 also contained some genes involved in plant colonization, nitrogen fixation, and defense against oxidative stress. GFP-labeled <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 could colonize maize as an endophytic bacterium. We concluded that <italic>K. variicola</italic> X39 was a kingdom-crossing strain.</p>