The New ST152 Variants with Hypermucoviscous Phenotype Isolated from Renal Transplant Recipients with Asymptomatic Bacteriuria-Genetic Characteristics by WGS.

(Kp) is one of the most important etiological factors of urinary tract infections in renal transplant (RTx) recipients. We described the antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes and genomic features of two hypermucoviscous (HM) Kp isolates recovered from RTx recipients with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). Using whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, we showed that the strains belong to the ST152 lineage with the KL149 capsular serotype, but without A/A genes, which is typical for HM+ hypervirulent Kp. These new strains carried virulence-associated genes that predispose for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Likewise, both strains carried the gene encoding pilus common for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) . Although the two ST152 isolates were closely related and differed by only nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in their chromosomes, they had different plasmid compositions and chromosomal elements, with isolate KP28872 carrying an ESBL plasmid and an integrative conjugative element. These two isolates are an example of the high plasticity of the accessory genome. The identification of patients with ABU matched with the correct epidemiological profiling of isolates could facilitate interventions to prevent or rapidly treat infections.