Description of Klebsiella africanensis sp. nov., Klebsiella variicola subsp. tropicalensis subsp. nov. and Klebsiella variicola subsp. variicola subsp. nov.

The bacterial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae comprises several phylogenetic groups (Kp1 to Kp7), two of which (Kp5 and Kp7) have no taxonomic status. Here we show that group Kp5 is closely related to Klebsiella variicola (Kp3), with an average nucleotide identity (ANI) of 96.4%, and that group Kp7 has an ANI of 94.7% with Kp1 (K. pneumoniae sensu stricto). Biochemical characteristics and chromosomal beta-lactamase genes also distinguish groups Kp5 and Kp7 from other Klebsiella taxa. We propose the names Klebsiella africanensis for Kp7 (type strain, 200023T = CIP 111653T) and K. variicola subsp. tropicalensis for Kp5 (type strain, 1266T = CIP 111654T).