Defining nutrient dependencies of intestinal Klebsiella pneumoniae guides rational probiotic engineering

Klebsiella pneumoniae colonization of the antibiotic-disrupted gut is linked to a consistently exploited, restricted set of carbon sources, including arabinose and raffinose.

• Why it matters: Ecological rules that let K. pneumoniae expand in the intestine are unclear, limiting rational ways to block antibiotic-resistant colonization.
• What they did: The study used in vivo transcriptomics and metabolomics across strains and dietary contexts to pinpoint carbon sources used during colonization, then engineered Escherichia coli Nissle to boost uptake and built the NICHE consortium.
• The result: NICHE restricted intestinal expansion of multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in preventive and therapeutic settings, with effects modulated by dietary nutrient availability.

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