Rifampicin as an antivirulence adjunct in hypervirulent/hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae infections: a scoping review
Danavath Nagendra, Asha K Rajan, Thejesh Srinivas, Vandana KE, Aruna Poojary, Abduallah Zaawari, Gagana Hanumaiah, Neeraja R, Ancita Lobo, Souvik Chaudhuri · 2026
Read Rifampicin as an antivirulence adjunct in hypervirulent/hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae infections: a scoping review by Danavath Nagendra, Asha K Rajan, Thejesh Srinivas, Vandana KE, Aruna Poojary, Abduallah Zaawari, Gagana Hanumaiah, Neeraja R, Ancita Lobo, Souvik Chaudhuri (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13397727.txt.
Description
Nagendra and co-authors map, in 2026, the evidence for using the drug rifampicin as an antivirulence helper against hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. The germ causes invasive infections caught outside hospitals that sometimes fail treatment despite laboratory susceptibility. Lab work suggests rifampicin tamps down the bacterium's hypermucoviscous capsule through control of capsule genes. Using Joanna Briggs and PRISMA-ScR methods, they searched four databases plus grey sources to May 2026.
Of 1,361 records found, only 11 studies qualified: four experimental or mechanism papers, five clinical case reports, and two conference abstracts. Lab studies supported capsule suppression via the RpoB-rmpA pathway, and pairing with zidovudine or outer membrane disruptors looked stronger than rifampicin alone. Reported dosing ranged from 450 milligrams once daily to 600 milligrams twice daily where stated. The authors judge the effect plausible in biology but unproven in patients, casting rifampicin as a possible salvage add-on, not a proven strategy.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Danavath Nagendra, Asha K Rajan, Thejesh Srinivas, Vandana KE, Aruna Poojary, Abduallah Zaawari, Gagana Hanumaiah, Neeraja R, Ancita Lobo, Souvik Chaudhuri |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 51 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |