Diagnosis of Naturally Occurring Klebsiella pneumoniae in Rodent Colonies Using Conventional, PCR and DNA Sequencing Method: A Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jlas.2026.9.2.3Keywords:
Klebsiella pneumoniae, laboratory rodents, PCR, DNA sequencingAbstract
Pathogen-free animals are crucial in biomedical research for achieving reliable and reproducible results. Pathogens can influence both physiological and immunological responses in animals. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative oppor tunistic pathogen that can colonize the respiratory and intestinal tracts of both humans and animals. During the micro biological quality control, we identified Klebsiella pneumoniae in the lung of SD rat and the liver and cecum of a Swiss mouse. A lung sample was collected from a moribund SD rat and the liver and cecum were collected from a sick Swiss mouse. Samples were processed for culture-based identification, which includes colony characterization and biochemi cal tests. The presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae was confirmed by conventional PCR targeting the tyrB gene. The PCR products were validated by Sanger sequencing and the resulting sequences were examined using ‘BLAST’ to confirm the homology with the reference strain. Culture-based methods help treat animals promptly and reduce the spread of disease. The combination of culture-based and molecular techniques, along with sequence validation, ensured accurate and reliable detection of the pathogen in different species.
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