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Klebsiella in p. 143
Klebsiella p. , 143
Klebsiella spp. p. 183
Klebsiella pneumonia p. 722
Klebsiella p. , 143
alcoholism p. 176
currant jelly sputum p. 143, 183
Gram-negative algorithm p. 139
kidney stones p. 622
lactose fermentation p. 142
nosocomial infections p. 182
pneumonia p. NaN
taxonomy p. 122
urease-positive p. 125
urinary tract infections p. 619
cephalosporins p. 186
encapsulation p. 125
immunodeficient patients p. 116
presentation p. 722
splenic dysfunction p. 96
UTIs caused by p. 179
Klebsiella p. , 143
Klebsiella pneumoniae p. , 722
Klebsiella as cause p. 143
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, which belongs to a family of bacteria called the Enterobacteriaceae.
Klebsiella pneumoniae can normally colonize the oropharynx and the gastrointestinal tract.
It causes various hospital-acquired infections, such as pneumonia (hence the name) and is the third most common cause of urinary tract infections.
Characteristics
Now, Klebsiella pneumoniae has a thin peptidoglycan layer, so like other Gram-negative bacteria, it stains pink.
And since it’s a bacillus, it looks like a little pink rod under the microscope.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is non-motile, non-spore forming, and facultative anaerobe.
This means it can live even without oxygen, although it grows better in an aerobic environment.
So, it prefers places like lungs,throat, or respiratory airways, as well as ventilators in the ICU where there is an unlimited flow of oxygen.
Alright, now Klebsiella pneumoniae is urease positive, which means it can produce an enzyme called urease that dissociates urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia.
This can be tested by transferring a pure sample of bacteria from the culture to a sterile tube containing a mixture of “urea agar” broth and phenol red.
Then, the mixture is incubated.
So, with Klebsiella, urease makes urea dissociate into carbon dioxide and ammonia.
Ammonia then makes the mixture change color from orange-yellow to bright pink.
Finally, Klebsiella pneumoniae grows well on MacConkey agar, which is a medium that contains a pH sensitive dye and lactose.
This medium helps identify whether Gram-negative bacteria are lactose fermenters or not.
Some Enterobacteriaceae like Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Escherichia coli, can ferment lactose.
This results in the production of the acid that makes the pH sensitive dye turn pink - so their colonies will be pink.
Klebsiella has an abundant polysaccharide capsule which leads to the formation of very mucoid and viscous pink colonies.
Others like Salmonella and Shigella can’t ferment lactose, so their colonies will be colorless.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium that is known to cause diseases in humans such as pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, and urinary tract infections. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a facultative anaerobe, and lactose-fermenter, and is also able to produce an enzyme known as beta-lactamase, which makes it resistant to several antibiotics.
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