Heterogeneity of galF and gnd of the cps region for capsule synthesis in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) plays important role in Klebsiella spp pathogenesis. Capsular types K1 and K2 of Klebsiella pneumoniae are considered most virulent for humans. The capsule biosynthesis region flanking genes galF and gnd from clinical isolates and reference strains of K. pneumoniae were screened for polymorphism. Nucleotide sequence analysis of galF and gnd revealed a high heterogeneity. However, deduced amino acid sequences demonstrated that the majority of mutations were silent implying GalF and Gnd are strongly conserved. This may suggest importance of these loci in the CPS biosynthesis and may argue for their potential usefulness in Klebsiella genotyping.