Outer Membrane Vesicle and Ferroptosis-Related Signatures in Sepsis-Associated Acute Lung Injury Caused by Extra-Pulmonary Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumoniae

Overview

This prospective observational translational cohort study will investigate whether extra-pulmonary infection caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) is associated with an increased risk of sepsis-associated acute lung injury (SALI), compared with infection caused by classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKP). The study will further examine whether circulating bacterial outer membrane vesicle (OMV) signals and ferroptosis-related biomarker profiles are associated with subsequent SALI development. Adults with Sepsis-3 and microbiologically confirmed extra-pulmonary K. pneumoniae infection will be enrolled within 6 hours of sepsis recognition. Patients with acute lung injury at enrollment will be excluded from the primary cohort. Blood samples will be collected at enrollment, 24 hours, and 72 hours. Clinical isolates will undergo molecular characterization to classify infections as hvKP or cKP. The primary outcome will be new-onset SALI within 7 days after enrollment. A nested translational substudy will evaluate the effects of patient-isolate-derived OMVs on human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells. The study will not alter antimicrobial therapy, source control, respiratory support, fluid management, or any other aspect of routine clinical care.

Sepsis-associated acute lung injury is a major complication of severe extra-pulmonary Gram-negative bacterial infection. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) is increasingly recognized as a cause of invasive infection with a high inflammatory burden and a propensity for metastatic spread. Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are biologically active nanoparticles that may transport lipopolysaccharide, virulence-associated molecules, and other inflammatory cargo to distant organs. Experimental evidence suggests that OMV-mediated oxidative stress and ferroptosis-related injury may contribute to pulmonary endothelial dysfunction and acute lung injury; however, the clinical relevance of these mechanisms in patients with extra-pulmonary hvKP sepsis remains unclear. This prospective multicenter observational translational cohort study will investigate the relationship among molecularly characterized hvKP infection, circulating bacterial OMV-related signals, ferroptosis-related biomarker profiles, and the subsequent development of sepsis-associated acute lung injury. Adults with microbiologically confirmed extra-pulmonary Klebsiella pneumoniae sepsis will be enrolled early after sepsis recognition and followed during the acute phase of illness. Clinical isolates will undergo molecular characterization for prespecified hypervirulence-associated genes and additional strain-level features. Blood specimens collected during routine early follow-up will be processed using standardized procedures for plasma, serum, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell analyses. The laboratory component will quantify circulating Gram-negative bacterial OMV-related signals in platelet-depleted plasma and evaluate systemic ferroptosis-related biomarker profiles, including lipid peroxidation products, glutathione redox status, iron-related indices, and ferroptosis-associated gene expression. Patient-derived Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates will also be cultured under standardized conditions for OMV isolation and characterization. A nested translational substudy will compare OMVs derived from representative hvKP and classical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Equal-particle-number OMV preparations will be applied to human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells to assess lipid peroxidation, ferroptosis-related molecular changes, endothelial barrier integrity, and the in vitro rescue effect of Ferrostatin-1. No investigational intervention will be administered to study participants, and all clinical management will remain at the discretion of the treating physicians.