Klebsiella pneumoniae is a human commensal and opportunistic
pathogen that has become a leading causative agent of hospital-based
infections over the past few decades. The emergence and global expansion
of hypervirulent and multidrug-resistant (MDR) clones of K. pneumoniae
have been increasingly reported in community-acquired and nosocomial
infections. Despite this, the population genomics and epidemiology of
MDR K. pneumoniae at the national level are still poorly
understood. To obtain insights into these, we analyzed a systematic
large-scale collection of invasive MDR K. pneumoniae isolates
from hospitals across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Using whole-genome
phylogenetic analysis, we placed these in the context of previously
sequenced K. pneumoniae populations from geographically diverse
countries and identified their virulence and drug resistance
determinants. Our results …