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Volume 41 Issue 3
June 2026
    Citation: Xiaona Yan, Mengmeng Su, Sixiang Xu, Xiangkuan Zheng, Xiaoyue Li, Peifan Liu, Yilin Fang, Libin Tan, Long Chen, Hong Du, Panpan Tong, Yuxia Zhang, Qinghai Ren, Wei Zhang. Therapeutic efficacy of a K1-specific bacteriophage against hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in a mouse infection model .VIROLOGICA SINICA, 2026, 41(3) : 676-687.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virs.2026.06.003
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    Therapeutic efficacy of a K1-specific bacteriophage against hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in a mouse infection model

    • a. MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Lab of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, China;

    • b. The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Yabulun Industrial Park, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya 572024, China;

    • c. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Zhangjiagang 215600, China;

    • d. Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, China;

    • e. Tianshui Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianshui 741000, China;

    • f. College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Wulumuqi 830052, China;

    • g. Phage Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China

    • Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic pathogen in both humans and animals. Controlling it has become increasingly difficult due to the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel lytic bacteriophage, vB_Kp_Z1, and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy against K1-serotype K. pneumoniae. Host range analysis showed that vB_Kp_Z1 was strictly specific to K1 strains, as confirmed across multiple prevalent capsular types. The in vivo efficacy of vB_Kp_Z1 was assessed using intraperitoneal infection models in mice. Two hypervirulent K1 strains were used: a pigeon-derived strain (KP1897) and a human clinical strain (KP177). Phage treatment significantly improved survival compared with phosphate-buffered saline-treated controls. It provided complete protection in KP1897-infected mice and achieved an 87.5% survival rate in KP177-infected mice. In addition, phage administration markedly reduced bacterial loads in the blood, liver, and lungs, indicating effective control of systemic dissemination. These findings demonstrate that vB_Kp_Z1 is a K1-specific bacteriophage with therapeutic potential against hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, including strains from different host species.
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      Therapeutic efficacy of a K1-specific bacteriophage against hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in a mouse infection model

        Corresponding author: Qinghai Ren, renqinghai@lcu.edu.cn
        Corresponding author: Wei Zhang, vszw@njau.edu.cn
      • a. MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Lab of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, China;
      • b. The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Yabulun Industrial Park, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya 572024, China;
      • c. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Zhangjiagang 215600, China;
      • d. Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, China;
      • e. Tianshui Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianshui 741000, China;
      • f. College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Wulumuqi 830052, China;
      • g. Phage Research Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
      • Received Date: 18 January 2026
      • Accepted Date: 01 June 2026

      Abstract: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic pathogen in both humans and animals. Controlling it has become increasingly difficult due to the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel lytic bacteriophage, vB_Kp_Z1, and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy against K1-serotype K. pneumoniae. Host range analysis showed that vB_Kp_Z1 was strictly specific to K1 strains, as confirmed across multiple prevalent capsular types. The in vivo efficacy of vB_Kp_Z1 was assessed using intraperitoneal infection models in mice. Two hypervirulent K1 strains were used: a pigeon-derived strain (KP1897) and a human clinical strain (KP177). Phage treatment significantly improved survival compared with phosphate-buffered saline-treated controls. It provided complete protection in KP1897-infected mice and achieved an 87.5% survival rate in KP177-infected mice. In addition, phage administration markedly reduced bacterial loads in the blood, liver, and lungs, indicating effective control of systemic dissemination. These findings demonstrate that vB_Kp_Z1 is a K1-specific bacteriophage with therapeutic potential against hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, including strains from different host species.

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