What does this research mean for the field?

Mastitis-associated Klebsiella pneumoniae strains exhibit significant genetic diversity and virulence that cause severe cellular damage to bovine mammary epithelial cells, making phage therapy a promising alternative control strategy against increasingly multidrug-resistant infections. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore the prevalence, virulence factors, and pathogenic mechanisms of Klebsiella pneumoniae linked to bovine mastitis.

April 8, 2026Open Access

Prevalence, Virulence, and Pathogenic Mechanisms of Mastitis-Associated Klebsiella pneumoniae in Herds and Phage-Based Control Strategies

Key Points

The aim is to explore the prevalence, virulence factors, and pathogenic mechanisms of Klebsiella pneumoniae linked to bovine mastitis.
Reviewed genetic diversity and virulence of various K. pneumoniae strains in dairy herds.
Analyzed pathogenic impacts on bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) like oxidative damage and apoptosis.
Outlined phage therapy mechanisms as a potential control strategy for K. pneumoniae infections.
Identified significant variation in the virulence of K. pneumoniae strains associated with bovine mastitis.
Described the mechanisms by which K. pneumoniae damages bMECs, including inflammation and immune evasion.
Highlighted the increasing need for innovative treatment strategies due to multidrug resistance in K. pneumoniae.

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is an opportunistic and environmental mastitis pathogen prevalent in dairy herds worldwide. Owing to their genetic and genomic diversity, K. pneumoniae strains associated with bovine mastitis exhibit significant variation in virulence. Certain types of mastitis-causing K. pneumoniae strains exhibit enhanced pathogenicity and mammary adaptability, posing a serious threat to global public health. Bovine mastitis-causing K. pneumoniae strains can cause ultrastructural damage to bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs), leading to inflammatory injury, oxidative damage, apoptosis, pyroptosis, and immune evasion in bMECs. In this review, we summarize the prevalence, virulence genes, and pathogenic mechanisms of K. pneumoniae strains related to bovine mastitis. Given the increasing multidrug resistance of K. pneumoniae, we also outline the methods and mechanisms of phage therapy for K. pneumoniae infections, as well as future directions for treatment and prevention. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the population structure of mastitis-associated K. pneumoniae and provide valuable insights for future research on pathogenic mechanisms, vaccine development, and control strategies.

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