ISKpn28 transposition and genomic alterations in λ-Red recombinants of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: Whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic analysis.

Two λ-Red recombinant derivatives of the hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strain K255 both acquired an additional chromosomal copy of ISKpn28 within nlpD.

• Why it matters: Locus-specific checks can miss unintended secondary genome changes in λ-Red recombinants, which may alter phenotypes relevant to virulence and host interactions.
• What they did: After constructing an rmpA mutant in K255, the team compared two derivatives using whole-genome sequencing with both short- and long-read data alongside phenotypic assays.
• The result: One derivative (K255ΔrmpA-1) carried a 55,652 bp chromosomal deletion, while the other (K255ΔrmpA-2) had an ISKpn74-associated plasmid inversion, supporting WGS for genome-wide integrity assessment.

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