A strain of bacteria that causes severe and sometimes drug-resistant infections has been detected in all six World Health Organization regions, the group reported July 31.
A 2022 study on Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae recorded "the highest percentage of antibiotic resistance in hvKp group compared to previous studies indicating a dramatic increase in multidrug resistant hvKp strains," the authors wrote then.
Since then, infections have spread further, prompting the WHO to issue a moderate-level risk level to the situation.
"The prevention and control … poses significant challenges because it has not been possible to establish the extent of its dissemination in the countries of the different regions and information on this subject is currently limited," the WHO's update states.
Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae can cause severe infections in both healthy and immunocompromised individuals, and carries genes that are resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. Because of these challenges, clinicians are advised to suspect the diagnosis as a possibility for any community-acquired, unusual infection spread, or unusual clusters of hospital infections, according to the WHO.
The organization also encourages hospitals and public health officials to ramp up capacity for and use of molecular testing to detect the virus. Currently, there is not a systematic surveillance approach in place for monitoring the spread of K. pneumoniae, which is why the WHO also recommends enhancing infection control and prevention protocols at all acute care and long-term care facilities.