# Cross-border prevalence of putative-hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae differs between tertiary hospitals in Austria and Germany

## TL;DR

This study found a higher rate of a potentially dangerous type of Klebsiella bacteria in German hospitals compared to Austrian ones.

## Contribution

The study provides cross-border comparative data on putative hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae prevalence in European hospitals.

## Key findings

- 45 putative hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae cases were identified out of 4400 total Klebsiella pneumoniae cases.
- The German hospital had a 3.3-times higher prevalence of putative hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae compared to the Austrian hospital.

## Abstract

We conducted a prospective testing protocol for surveillance of putative hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in two tertiary hospitals in Germany and Austria, over a one year study period. In total, 45 (1.02 %) putative hvKp of around 4400 K. pneumoniae were identified. The study revealed a 3.3-times higher prevalence of putative hvKp in the German hospital.