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Klebsiella Pneumoniae Infection

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common hospital-acquired infectious agent, causing urinary tract and abdominal infections and hospital infected pneumonia. Klebsiella pneumoniae can be found in a person’s mouth, skin, and intestines. Klebsiella is second to E. coli as the cause of urinary tract infections. The reported number of cases is up approximately 50% in the last five years and there is a 66% mortality rate in untreated patients.

Causes & Symptoms
Klebsiella pneumonia generally affects people with underlying diseases, such as alcoholism, diabetes and chronic lung disease. Typically, Klebsiella pneumonia causes a severe, rapid-onset illness that often causes destruction in the lungs. Infected people get high fever, chills, flu-like symptoms and cough up a lot of mucous. Klebsiella pneumonia causes lung destruction and pockets of pus in the lung (known as abscesses). Additionally, the risk of death is much higher then regular pneumonia.

Treatment
Klebsiella pneumoniae is generally treated with Aminoglycosides and Cephalosporins prescription medications, but is resistant to Carbenicillin, Ampicillin, Quinolones, and increasingly to Ceftazidime.

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