Clinical characteristics of bacteremia caused by hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae at a tertiary hospital

Abstract This study aimed to assess the predictive factors of bacteremia due to hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP), as well as the mortality. The medical records of 114 patients with K. pneumoniae bacteremia who were divided into the hvKP (n = 24) and non-hvKP (n = 90) groups, were retrospectively reviewed. The male-to-female ratio, age, and underlying disease did not differ between the two groups. Mortality was higher among patients in the hvKP bacteremia group than in the non-hvKP bacteremia group (29.2% vs 6.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictors associated with hvKP bacteremia were abscess (p = 0.01) and no antibiotic exposure (p = 0.02); thus, early assessment of these conditions is important. For patients with a history of abscess and no antibiotic exposure, it is necessary to administer treatment while keeping the risk of hvKP in mind.