Klebsiella pneumoniae (′ kleb·zē′el·ə nə′mō·nē′ī )

By Emily Thielke Klebsiellapneumoniae(′kleb·zē′el·ənə′mō·nē′ī)

Characteristics • Gram-negative • (gram stains pink/red) • Pink in color • Rod shaped • Non-motile bacteria • Lactose Fermenting • Enterobacteriaceae Family • This means that this bacteria is mostly found in the intestines of animals and humans. • Encapsulated Bacterium • (presence of a polysaccharide layer outside the cell-wall)

…characteristics con… • Facultative Anaerobic • meaning that it has a characteristic feature of becoming both aerobic (survive in presence of oxygen) and anaerobic (survive in absence of oxygen) depending upon the situation. • It is found naturally in the soil, water and vegetables. • In humans, it can be found in the skin, pharynx and gastrointestinal tract.

Klebsiellapneumoniae is one of the most commonly occurring gram-negative bacteria studied worldwide.

Infections • Mostly causes pneumonia in humans • However it can also cause UTIs and abdominal infections • In Fact it is the second pathogen, next to E. coli, that causes UTIs

...infections con… • Infections are either hospital-acquired or community-acquired. • More commonly known as hospital-acquired pneumonia • Affects persons with low immune system, diabetes patients and people with chronic lung disease. Alcoholics can also suffer from K. pneumoniaeinfections

Symptoms • Klebsiella pneumonia causes rapid destruction of tissue within the lungs, and as a result, the symptoms appear quickly. • sudden high fever • dizziness and chills • coughing up of a distinctive sputum from the lungs • thick and tinged with blood • viscous and abundant

…symptoms con… • If not treated right away: • can quickly form abscesses • bacteria, from the abscesses, is also able to punch holes in the lining of the lungs large pneumonia consolidation in the right lower lobe

…symptoms con… • People with Klebsiella pneumonia can also suffer from collapsed lungs • Klebsiella pneumonia can also spread to the upper respiratory tract. It can cause a foul-smelling discharge to be emitted from the nose.

Diagnosive Tests • The diagnosis of the infection is done in two ways • Gram stain and culture • Conducting a battery of tests to determine biochemical properties is required to identify the species Gram stain of K. pneumoniae

...test con… • Diagnosis of klebsiella pneumonia can also be done by the basis of patient’s symptoms, physical examination with further investigations like chest X-ray, blood test and sputum cultures.

Treatment • Tx for K. pneumonia is usually done by using antibiotics such as aminoglycosides and bactericidals such as cephalosporins. • However, Tx depends upon the patient’s health condition, medical history and severity of the infectious disease

Some History of K. pneumoniae • The Danish scientist Hans Christian Gram (1853-1938), developed the technique now known as Gram staining in 1884 to discriminate between K. pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. • The organisms are named after Edwin Klebs, a 19th century German microbiologist

References • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/klebsiella-pneumoniae.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klebsiella_pneumoniae • http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Klebsiella

Klebsiella pneumoniae (′ kleb·zē′el·ə nə′mō·nē′ī )