Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, encapsulated, lactose-fermenting, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. K. pneumoniae is considered to be an opportunistic pathogen, causing infections in immunocompromised individuals, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis.

Where found: Klebsiella species are ubiquitously found throughout the environment, including surface water, wastewater plants, soil and mucosal surfaces and intestines of humans and animals. K. pneumoniae has been reported to be a common contaminate of wood products, which were a source of infection in dairy cows.

Drug susceptibility: Due to the acquisition of multiple antibiotic resistance genes, the treatment of K. pneumoniae infections has become challenging and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella spp. are considered a public health threat. K. pneumoniae shows high resistance to a broad-spectrum of antibiotics including beta-lactum antibiotics, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides.